TREASURY

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress the ministerial sub-group on devolving the rate of corporation tax to Northern Ireland has made; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: Ministers from the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive held the third meeting of the Ministerial Working Group on Rebalancing the Northern Ireland Economy in Belfast on 25 June.
	While good progress has been made on some aspects of the work, including the potential shape of a devolved corporation tax regime, there remain some crucial areas where significant differences of opinion still exist, including on the potential costs to the Northern Ireland block grant.
	Officials will continue to work over the summer to understand these differences and the Ministerial Working Group have agreed to meet again in September.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on a rural fuel duty discount for North Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Chancellor of the Exchequer routinely receives a range of representations from stakeholders, Members of Parliament, and the general public on current and future rates of excise duty as well as other issues such as fuel prices.
	The UK's derogation from the EU energy tax directive, unanimously agreed to by other EU member states, is for a rural fuel rebate pilot scheme for remote islands only. Pump prices in these areas are particularly high when compared with the mainland. Beyond this pilot scheme nothing has been ruled in or out.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury has published details of spend on Government procurement cards over £500 on the following dates:
	
		
			 Date set Date published 
			 March 2012 19 June 2012 
			 February 2012 29 May 2012 
			 January 2012 11 May 2012 
			 December 2011 15 March 2012 
			 November 2011 9 February 2012 
			 October 2011 16 January 2012 
			 September 2011 2 December 2011 
		
	
	April to August 2011 data were published on 19 November 2011. This was the first publication of the Department's spending on Government Procurement Card over £500, in line with the Government's transparency commitment.
	Data relating to spend from 2008 to 2011 were published on 5 May 2011, in response to a Freedom of Information request.

Minimum Wage

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases managed through the national minimum wage enforcement regime had an element related to holiday pay in each year since 2007.

David Gauke: HMRC does not record that information.

Tax Havens

George Galloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek international agreement on the closure of offshore tax havens.

David Gauke: The G20 is committed to tackling tax havens and has initiated a programme of peer reviews conducted by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes to ensure that all jurisdictions comply with international standards.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Dan Byles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total revenue accruing to the Exchequer from the carbon floor price in each of the first five years of its operation.

Chloe Smith: The carbon price floor policy begins on 1 April 2013. Budget 2012 updated forecasts of Exchequer revenues from the carbon price floor (CPF). The following table summarises this information:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 
			 Budget 2012forecast based on policy announced at Budget 2011 (table 2.2) 615 1,085 1,330 1,585 
			 Additional measures announced at Budget 2012 (table 2.1) -45 -90 -115 -145 
			 Revised forecast of CPF revenues 570 995 1,215 1,440 
		
	
	The additional measures announced at Budget 2012 included the introduction of an exemption from the carbon price floor for fossil fuels used in the production of heat in a good quality combined heat and power station.
	Revenue forecasts are only available for the forecast horizon, up to 2016-17, and therefore only cover the first four years of the carbon price floor's operation.

VAT

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will withdraw his proposal to end VAT relief from alterations to listed buildings and retain the zero rate for approved alterations to listed buildings irrespective of building type or ownership.

David Gauke: The Government remains committed to removing the anomaly whereby approved alterations to certain listed buildings are zero-rated for VAT purposes but alterations to other types of building and the repair and maintenance of all buildings are standard-rated, and will make the necessary changes by a Report Stage amendment to Finance Bill 2012.
	On 28 June HM Revenue and Customs published on its website a Summary of Responses to its consultation "VAT; Addressing VAT borderline anomalies". Having specifically invited comments on the transitional arrangements for the listed buildings measure as part of the consultation, this document sets out the Government's plans for the arrangements to provide relief to more projects already underway at Budget by specifying an earlier trigger point and an extended transitional period. Details can be found at paragraphs 2.6.14 and 2.6.15 of the document
	Summary of Responses: VAT—Addressing borderline anomalies

Working Tax Credit

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total cost was of working tax credit paid to households whilst the employed householder was taking industrial action in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010, (e) 2011 and (f) 2012 to date;
	(2)  how many households in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland were in receipt of working tax credit when taking industrial action in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009, (iv) 2010, (v) 2011 and (vi) to date.

David Gauke: HMRC does not hold information on participation in industrial action by working tax credit claimants.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Air Displays: Farnborough

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 202W, on air displays: Farnborough, if she will refuse entry visas to anyone working for or representing Rosoboronexport intending to exhibit at the July 2012 Farnborough Air Show; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not routinely comment on individual cases. All applications for entry clearance to the UK are assessed on their individual merits and in accordance with the Immigration Rules.

Asylum

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legacy asylum cases for each country of origin remain unresolved; and when she expects these cases to be resolved.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency provides regular updates to the Home Affairs Committee on the cases in its Case Assurance and Audit Committee. The latest update was sent to the Committee in May 2012.
	The additional information you have requested about legacy asylum cases for each country of origin is not readily available or quality assured. However, the top 10 nationalities have been sourced from local management information; this is not a national statistic:
	1. China
	2. India
	3. Pakistan
	4. Afghanistan
	5. Sri Lanka
	6. Iraq
	7. Nigeria
	8. Turkey
	9. Zimbabwe
	10. Iran.
	The Casework and Assurance Audit Unit will resolve these legacy cases as barriers are lifted.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK nationals (a) lived and (b) worked for part or all of the year in each other EU member state in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your question to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK nationals (a) lived and (b) worked for part or all of the year in each EU member state in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement (114092).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not collect information regarding UK nationals resident or working outside the UK. However, Eurostat publishes figures on population by citizenship for EU countries, these are available at:
	http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/population/data/database

Children: Protection

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to police on cases where a parent is cautioned in respect of offences under section 1 of the Children and Young Person's Act 1933; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of such guidance in preventing child neglect.

Crispin Blunt: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for the policy on simple cautions. There is no specific guidance for cautioning offenders who have committed an offence under section 1 of the Children and Young Person's Act 1933. General guidance on simple cautions for adult offenders is contained in the Home Office Circular 016/2008. It does not stipulate the use of simple cautions in particular cases because it depends on the individual circumstances in each case. Instead it provides guidance to the police and Crown Prosecution Service on the use of simple cautions and explains the practical process of administering a caution.
	We are developing a clearer national framework to deal with offending out of court which includes consolidating and simplifying the current raft of guidance including for simple cautions.

Crime: EU Nationals

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-British EU citizens were (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted for an offence committed in the UK in each of the last 10 years, by member state and offence; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The nationality of those arrested, those charged and those convicted is not collected centrally.

Crime: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were (a) reported to the police and (b) identified by the British crime survey in (i) York and (ii) north Yorkshire and York in (A) 1992 and (B) each year since 1992; and how many and what proportion of these crimes in each year resulted in a conviction.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office is responsible for the police recorded crime statistics. The available information relates to offences recorded by the police and is given in the following table. Data for north Yorkshire are available for the period requested but figures for total crime in York are only available from 2000-01.
	The sample size of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), formerly known as the British crime survey, is not large enough to provide a robust estimate of the number of incidents of crime covered by the survey at local authority or police force area level. However, CSEW estimates of crime at a police force area level are published as a percentage of respondents who have been a victim of crime once or more in the last year, and these data are available going back to 2004-05. Estimates have been provided on this basis by the Office for National Statistics for north Yorkshire police force area for all years since 2004-05.
	Year on year changes in estimates of CSEW crime at police force area level should be treated with caution as, being based on a relatively small sample, they are liable to fluctuation. It should be noted that the only statistically significant change in CSEW estimates is between 2008-09 and 2009-10 for household crime.
	From the data held centrally in the Home Office, it is not possible to follow a recorded offence through to any conclusion at court and data is therefore not available on the percentage of these crimes which result in a conviction for these years.
	
		
			 Crime in north Yorkshire and York 
			  North Yorkshire York 
			  Offences recorded by the police Percentage victim of personal crime at least once based on the Crime Survey for England and Wales (1) Statistically significant change from previous year (2) Percentage victim of household crime at least once based on the Crime Survey for England and Wales (1) Statistically significant change from previous year (2) Offences recorded by the police 
			 1992 54,816 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1993 57,967 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1994 62,153 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1995 63,539 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1996 56,919 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1997 50,252 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998-99(3) 55,309 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999-00 53,554 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000-01 51,532 n/a n/a n/a n/a 19,291 
			 2001-02 59,125 n/a n/a n/a n/a 22,890 
			 2002-03(4) 67,239 n/a — — — 25,630 
			 2003-04 71,473 n/a — — — 29,347 
			 2004-05 61,615 6 — 17 — 23,080 
			 2005-06 58,850 5 — 15 — 22,784 
			 2006-07 54,526 4 — 11 — 20,935 
			 2007-08 49,944 4 — 11 — 18,901 
			 2008-09 48,563 4 — 8 — 17,886 
			 2009-10 42,197 5 — 12 **+ 14,480 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 42,464 4 — 14 — 15,199 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Known as the British crime survey prior to 1 April 2012. (2) **+/**— denotes statistically significant change from previous year. (3) The police recorded crime coverage was extended and the counting rules changed in 1998-99. Data before and after that date are not directly comparable. (4) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced nationally in 2002-03 and police recorded crime figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.

Criminal Proceedings: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each year since 2010 a competent authority in the UK has (a) contacted and (b) been contacted by the competent authority in another EU member state regarding the belief that a parallel set of criminal proceedings is being conducted under Article 5 of EU Council Framework Decision 2009/948/JHA; and on how many occasions in each year it was necessary to refer the matter to Eurojust under Article 12(2) of the Decision.

Kenneth Clarke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	None. The Framework Decision has not yet been implemented.

Criminal Records: EU Action

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the European Criminal Records Information System has been used by UK authorities to exchange criminal conviction information since it was introduced; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) started operation on 27 April 2012. The UK is currently operational with eight other member states. The number of transactions between the UK and these member states are set out in the following table. For notifications in and notifications out, it is not possible to separate the number of new convictions from the number of updates to old convictions.
	
		
			  ECRIS 
			 Country Requests out Requests in Notifications out Notifications in 
			 Austria 19 81 4 13 
			 Estonia 14 0 22 0 
			 France 102 114 132 963 
			 Germany 107 228 62 171 
			 Lithuania 292 4 763 1 
			 Poland 587 54 1128 25 
			 Romania 349 6 844 1 
			 Spain 111 8 52 516 
			 Total 1,581 495 3,007 1,690 
			 Notes: 1. ‘Notifications in’ concern Britons who have been convicted abroad, or updates to previous convictions. 2. ‘Notifications out’ concern EU nationals who have been convicted in the UK, or updates to previous convictions. 3. ‘Requests in’ concern an EU country which is seeking the previous convictions of a UK national who is being prosecuted their jurisdiction. 4. ‘Requests out’ concern the UK seeking the previous convictions of an EU national who is being prosecuted in the UK.

Databases: Telecommunications

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether data stored under the proposed Communications Capabilities Development Programme will be subject to the European Investigation Order.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 26 June 2012
	Communications data can be provided under existing arrangements for mutual legal assistance within the EU.
	The European Investigation Order currently under negotiation does not envisage any change to that situation.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-EU students were reported to her Department by educational institutions due to (a) poor attendance and (b) other concerns about their genuineness.

Damian Green: Tier 4 sponsors use the online Sponsor Management System to report on student activity. Sponsors select one of a number of categories when reporting.
	The number of reports by sponsors using the category which most closely equates to poor attendance, "Student has missed 10 expected contacts without permission", in each year from March 2010 to March 2012 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010 3,100 
			 2011 17,100 
			 2012 3,700 
			 Total 23,900 
		
	
	These figures are taken from Management Information and sponsors may have reported any individual student on multiple occasions.
	The Sponsor Management System does not include a specific reporting category for concerns about genuineness.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the respondents to her consultation entitled Building a Fairer Britain: Reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission published in March 2011 agreed with the proposal to remove (a) Section 3, (b) Sections 10 and 19 and (c) Section 27 of the Equality Act 2006.

Lynne Featherstone: A summary of responses to the Government's consultation on reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, including a breakdown of the number of respondents agreeing with each proposal, was published on 15 May 2012. It is available in the House Libraries and on the Home Office website, at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk
	(a) 53 respondents agreed with the proposal to remove section 3 of the Equality Act 2006.
	(b) 45 respondents agreed with the proposal to remove section 10 and section 19 of the Equality Act 2006.
	(c) 61 respondents agreed with the proposal to remove section 27 of the Equality Act 2006.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the respondents to her consultation entitled Building a Fairer Britain: Reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission published in March 2011 agreed with the proposal to amend Section 12 of the Equality Act 2006 which would change the requirement for it to report on Section 3 to Sections 8 and 9 of the Equality Act 2006; and what assessment she has made of the compatibility with the Paris Principles.

Lynne Featherstone: A summary of responses to the Government's consultation on reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, including a breakdown of the number of respondents agreeing with each proposal, was published on 15 May 2012. It is available in the House Libraries and on the Home Office website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	50 respondents to the consultation expressed support for the proposal to amend section 12 of the Equality Act 2006.
	None of the reforms impact on the compatibility of the legislation governing the establishment of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Equality Act 2006, or with the Paris Principles.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the respondents to her consultation entitled Building a Fairer Britain: Reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission published in March 2011 agreed with the proposal to amend section 12 of the Equality Act 2006 to change the requirement for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to report every three years to every five years.

Lynne Featherstone: A summary of responses to the Government's consultation on reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, including a breakdown of the number of respondents agreeing with each proposal, was published on 15 May 2012. It is available in the House Libraries and on the Home Office website, at
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk
	50 respondents to the consultation expressed support for the proposal to amend section 12 of the Equality Act 2006.

Extradition: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the decision to extend the scope of EU Council Decision 2009/933/CFSP to cover the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

Damian Green: The Home Office has made no assessment of this Council Decision, which merely extends the Agreement on Extradition between the European Union and the United States of America to the Netherland Antilles and Aruba.
	This Council Decision has no effect on extradition between the UK and the US.

Forensic Science: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government has taken to ensure compliance with EU Council Framework Decision 2009/905/JHA in advance of the implementation deadline of 30 November 2012; and what the associated costs of such steps have been.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 28 June 2012
	Framework decision 2009/905/JHA requires accreditation in relation to DNA profiles by 30 November 2013 and accreditation in relation to fingerprint data by 30 November 2015.
	Forensic suppliers who process DNA samples to produce DNA profiles which are added to the National DNA Database are all already compliant with ISO 17025 and EU Council Framework Decision 2009/905/JHA. As a matter of practice, the standards required by Framework Decision 2009/905/JHA are also inserted into all commercial contracts awarded by police services in this area.
	A Forensic Quality Standards Project has been set up within the National Policing Improvement Agency's (NPIA) Forensics 21 portfolio to assist police forces with the accreditation process mandated by this Framework Decision.
	Police forces are working towards accreditation: 22 forces have submitted their applications to the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS): 12 have undertaken a UKAS pre assessment; and two have been recommended for accreditation in the mandated areas. This approach has received the endorsement and backing of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Forensic Science Regulator.
	The UK takes a comprehensive approach to the regulation of services in this field, including the publication of Codes of Practice and Conduct by the Forensic Science Regulator. It is not possible to disaggregate the costs relating to implementation of the Framework Decision from the wider costs of related work.

Immigration

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has any plans to make changes to her Department's IT systems in order to be able to report the number of migrants with leave to remain under each immigration category.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency is in the process of modernising the IT that supports immigration casework. The new IT system will hold details of applicants’ status for those people who have had their application processed through this system.

Immigration Controls

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many family migration cases transferred to Sheffield when the UK Border Agency offices in Croydon closed (a) remain under active consideration and (b) have yet to be allocated to a caseworker.

Damian Green: The data requested are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols, or produced as part of the UK Border Agency's standard reports.
	However the UK Border Agency publishes immigration statistics in relation to family migration on a quarterly and annual basis, a copy of which can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q1-2012/family-q1-2012

Immigration Controls

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest period is for which any of the family migration cases transferred to Sheffield when the UK Border Agency offices in Croydon closed has been open.

Damian Green: The longest period for which any of the 2,078 family migration cases transferred to Sheffield has been open is 14 months.

Immigration Controls

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the family migration cases transferred to Sheffield when the UK Border Agency offices in Croydon closed are still under active consideration for each country of origin; and when she expects all these cases to be completed.

Damian Green: The data requested are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols, or produced as part of the UK Border Agency's standard reports.
	However the UK Border Agency publishes immigration statistics in relation to family migration on a quarterly and annual basis, a copy of which can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q1-2012/family-q1-2012
	It is expected that all the cases transferred to Sheffield will be completed by December 2012.

Immigration Controls

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ratio was of cases to caseworkers dealing with (a) family migration cases and (b) legacy cases in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Damian Green: The ratio of caseworkers dealing with family migration cases and legacy cases in each of the last five years is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012: Security

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police officers she expects to work on security for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics;
	(2)  what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of providing security during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics;
	(3)  how many private security personnel she expects to work on security for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

James Brokenshire: Government expenditure on venue security is forecast to be £553 million. This budget provides for a pool of 23,700 people to carry out venue security duties. The total number of private security personnel used throughout the Olympic and Paralympic period will not be known until after the games, as this is dependent on workforce shift patterns. The peak number deployed on the busiest days is forecast to be around 18,500. The majority of security personnel will be provided by G4S, with up to 7,500 military personnel performing venue security roles and up to 3,000 London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) volunteers supporting the security operation. We are confident that venue security costs are within budget.

Police

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the recruitment criteria for the police; and whether she has any plans to change them.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 28 June 2012
	Tom Winsor's recommendations on entry requirements for the police have been referred to the Police Advisory Board for England and Wales. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), will give careful consideration to the advice offered by the board on this matter before taking any final decision.

Police: Civilians

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilian staff have been made redundant in each police force since 2010.

Nick Herbert: Separate figures for staff made redundant are not collected centrally. The available data provided in the table shows the number of civilian staff dismissed for 2009-10 and 2010-11 by police force area. Dismissals include members of staff required to resign, staff that have been made redundant or staff whose contract has been terminated. These figures exclude voluntary resignations.
	
		
			 Civilian staff that have been dismissed for 2009-10 and 2010-11, by police force area (1,2,3) 
			  2009-10 2010-11 
			 Avon and Somerset 7 44 
			 Bedfordshire 12 20 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 65 
			 Cheshire 5 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Cleveland 3 5 
			 Cumbria 21 12 
			 Derbyshire 6 26 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6 0 
			 Dorset 0 9 
			 Durham 4 36 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 1 
			 Essex 14 62 
			 Gloucestershire 2 5 
			 Greater Manchester 7 39 
			 Gwent 1 6 
			 Hampshire 7 119 
			 Hertfordshire 28 18 
			 Humberside 8 44 
			 Kent 12 15 
			 Lancashire 18 29 
			 Leicestershire 8 75 
			 Lincolnshire 2 39 
			 London, City of 0 2 
			 Merseyside 5 5 
			 Metropolitan police 38 313 
			 Norfolk 32 36 
			 Northamptonshire 12 38 
			 Northumbria 4 5 
			 North Wales 5 60 
			 North Yorkshire 14 17 
			 Nottinghamshire 15 30 
			 South Wales 4 4 
			 South Yorkshire 1 5 
			 Staffordshire 49 55 
			 Suffolk 4 18 
			 Surrey 56 44 
			 Sussex 2 9 
			 Thames Valley 26 39 
			 Warwickshire 0 6 
			 West Mercia 6 2 
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands 6 305 
			 West Yorkshire 23 90 
			 Wiltshire 3 23 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Dismissals include members of staff required to resign, staff who have been made redundant or staff whose contract has been terminated. (3) These figures are provisional and have not been confirmed by forces.

Police: Civilians

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of police officers in roles previously undertaken by civilian support staff; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The deployment of police officers to roles within a force is a matter for individual chief constables, working with their police authorities or police and crime commissioner.

Police: Sick Leave

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers in each police force are on sick leave; how many and what proportion of such officers have been absent for more than a year; and how many and what proportion have been injured on duty.

Nick Herbert: The available data provided within the tables show the number of police officers on short and medium-term sick absence (28 calendar days or less) as well as long-term (more than 28 calendar days) certified sickness absence (assault and non-assault) as at 31 March 2010 and 2011 by police force area. Also provided is the number of assaults on police officers by degree of injury while carrying out duty as at 31 March 2010 and 2011 by police force area. The number and proportion of officers that have been absent for more than a year is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
	
		
			 The number of police officers on short and medium term absence as well as long term certified sickness absence, assault and non assault as at 31 March 2010 and 2011, by police force area (1, 2, 3, 45) 
			  As at 31 March 2010 As at 31 March 2011 
			   Long term absence  Long term absence 
			  Short and medium term absence Certified sickness—assault Certified sickness—non assault Short and medium term absence Certified sickness—assault Certified sickness—non assault 
			 Avon & Somerset 57 0 21 53 0 28 
			 Bedfordshire 29 (5)— (5)— 28 1 16 
			 Cambridgeshire 21 0 22 16 0 12 
			 Cheshire 17 1 21 33 0 24 
			 Cleveland 531 0 48 47 1 159 
			 Cumbria 17 2 66 17 0 21 
			 Derbyshire 40 1 27 40 3 27 
			 Devon & Cornwall 60 1 68 36 0 5 
			 Dorset 40 0 0 37 0 22 
			 Durham 15 0 27 26 1 22 
			 Dyfed-Powys 13 0 11 19 1 26 
			 Essex 55 1 46 1,978 0 7 
			 Gloucestershire 28 0 12 19 0 17 
			 Greater Manchester 112 4 136 120 0 118 
			 Gwent (5)— 0 32 (5)— 0 33 
			 Hampshire 80 0 51 79 0 72 
		
	
	
		
			 Hertfordshire 44 0 45 51 0 25 
			 Humberside 27 0 10 23 0 18 
			 Kent 76 2 19 57 1 17 
			 Lancashire 79 1 40 70 0 54 
			 Leicestershire 32 1 14 48 1 20 
			 Lincolnshire 21 0 28 16 0 15 
			 London, City of 8 0 9 10 0 6 
			 Merseyside 65 0 67 69 0 63 
			 Metropolitan Police 518 9 358 570 3 358 
			 Norfolk 38 0 17 29 0 17 
			 Northamptonshire 47 0 0 23 0 0 
			 Northumbria 75 0 19 72 4 50 
			 North Wales 13 0 3 395 0 7 
			 North Yorkshire 8 0 7 23 0 8 
			 Nottinghamshire 48 0 29 48 2 60 
			 South Wales 41 1 61 24 0 71 
			 South Yorkshire 18 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 67 0 44 57 0 32 
			 Suffolk 21 0 38 29 0 19 
			 Surrey 29 0 40 41 0 22 
			 Sussex 51 0 36 57 0 24 
			 Thames Valley 52 0 66 69 0 39 
			 Warwickshire 39 0 26 18 1 16 
			 West Mercia 24 (5)— (5)— 44 0 23 
			 West Midlands 144 1 116 208 3 123 
			 West Yorkshire 91 0 50 75 0 41 
			 Wiltshire 24 0 6 22 0 19 
			 (1 )This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2 )These data are provisional. They have not undergone usual quality assurance practises (including validation with individual police forces), and are therefore supplied for information purposes only. (3 )Figures for staff that are on short or medium term absence are absent for 28 calendar days or less. (4 )Figures for staff that are on long term absence are absent for more than 28 calendar days. (5 )Data unavailable. Source: Home Office using data received from police forces via the Annual Data Requirement.

Proceeds of Crime: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for bank information the UK (a) issued to and (b) received from the US under Article 4 of the Agreement on mutual legal assistance between the EU and the US which entered into force on 1 February 2010 in each year since 2010; and how many such requests were granted.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not record this information.

Proceeds of Crime: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many joint investigation teams involving the US and UK authorities operated in the (a) UK and (b) US under Article 5 of the Agreement on mutual legal assistance between the European Union and the United States which entered into force on 1 February 2010 in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not collate data centrally on the operations of joint investigation teams involving the UK and US authorities in the UK. We have no records of operations in the US.

Redundancy Pay

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on redundancy payments at (a) the National Policing Improvement Agency and (b) her Department in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Nick Herbert: The following table sets out the amount spent on redundancies by the National Policing Improvement Agency and the Home Office in 2010, 2011 and 2012:
	
		
			 £ 
			  (a) NPIA (b) Dept. 
			 (i) 2010 195,000.00 0.00 
			 (ii) 2011 550,000.00 5,237,568.47 
			 (iii) 2012 0.00 255,273.44

Telephone Services

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private sector call centre staff were used by her Department and its agencies in each of the last three financial years; and at what cost to the public purse.

Damian Green: The number of private sector call centre staff used by the Home Office and its agencies is not held centrally. The deployment of staff is a matter for each company contracted to provide call centre services to agreed service levels and price.
	Each month, since April 2010, the Department publishes detail of supplier spend on its website,
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk
	Prior to April 2010 the cost of call centre services was not held centrally.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the level of affordable house building starts in 2011-12.

Andrew Stunell: There were 15,698 affordable housing starts on site in 2011-12 delivered in England through the programmes managed by the Homes and Communities Agency.

High Streets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to support local high streets.

Bob Neill: As described in our response to the Portas review, we are supporting 27 Portas pilots; have distributed a £10 million High Street Innovation Fund to local authorities for tackling empty properties; and are launching a £1 million Future High Streets Challenge X Fund, rewarding local schemes that best revitalise their high streets.

Wind Turbines

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning approvals and rejections there were for wind turbines in (a) Isle of Wight constituency and (b) England in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Greg Clark: My Department does not collect this information, but the Isle of Wight council advises that in the 12 months from 1 June 2011 a roof mounted micro wind turbine was approved. In the same period an application for three turbines was dismissed following a planning appeal. For England, for the same period, DECC’s Renewable Energy Planning Database recorded 36 approvals and 37 refusals but this does not record applications for small scale microgeneration.

Children in Care

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to support the recommendations of the National Care Advisory Service's report on young people leaving care, Access All Areas.

Andrew Stunell: The Department welcomes the direction of the proposals highlighted in the Access All Areas report. The Department for Education is represented on the cross-government Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness. We will continue to work closely with them on what more we can do to promote the support needs of young people leaving care.

Community Development

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department plans to make available to communities seeking to purchase their local pub or other assets of community value.

Bob Neill: The Government has recently laid the Assets of Community Value Regulations. Once in force, these will give communities a fairer chance to bid to take over local assets of community value, including pubs. We will also make available a support package to help communities taking up these rights, details of which will be announced shortly.

Council Housing: Sales

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses were sold in each year from 1979 to 1997.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 18 June 2012
	Statistics on the number of sales of local authority owned properties are available on the Department’s website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/socialhousingsales/livetables/
	Live table 648 shows local authority sales and transfers by district and table 670 shows local authority sales under right to buy from 1980.
	Under this Administration, the additional properties that are sold under the revamped right to buy scheme will be replaced by new affordable homes.

Council Tax Benefits: Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to require local authorities to include or exclude income from universal credit in the means test for localised council tax benefit.

Bob Neill: Local authorities will be free to design their own scheme for localised support for working age people in their area. This includes being able to design any means test they wish to include, and deciding on what that test should and should not take account of.
	Where a local authority fails to agree a scheme by 31 January, the default scheme will come into operation. The regulations defining the default scheme will prescribe the calculation of awards, including how recipients of universal credit are to be treated. Government will publish draft regulations relating to the default scheme in mid-July.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government was formed in May 2006 and uses the Government Procurement Service’s (formerly Buying Solutions) framework agreement for energy supplies. It has not switched its gas or electricity supplier during this period.
	The Government Procurement Service’s framework agreement delivers pan-Government energy supplies through the Official Journal of the European Union competitive tender process. The utility contracts are typically four years in duration with the option to extend by one year. The Department is in the first year of a four-year agreement.
	The Department has made significant year-on-year reductions in energy consumption. In 2011-12, electricity and gas consumption were reduced by 9% and 45% respectively, compared to the previous year.
	Under the last Administration, the Department’s main building (Eland House, Victoria) was one of the least energy-efficient buildings in Whitehall, despite it being the lead Department on energy efficiency standards in buildings. In June 2011, the building was awarded a ‘D’ grade display energy certificate, having improved from ‘G' grade in 2006-07.

Green Belt

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research the Government has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effectiveness of its green belt policy in (i) meeting its primary purposes and (ii) delivering other benefits.

Greg Clark: This Administration has not commissioned any specific research into the effectiveness of the green belt.
	However, the National Planning Policy Framework states that green belt:
	checks the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;
	prevents neighbouring towns merging into one another;
	assists in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;
	preserves the setting and special character of historic towns; and
	assists in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.

Green Belt

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 8W, on planning permission: green belt 
	(1)  if he will provide examples of the considerations which may outweigh harm to the green belt and allow planning approval of new residential development on such land;
	(2)  how many new residential applications on protected green belt have been approved under the provisions of (a) Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas, paragraph 11 and Planning Policy Guidance 2: Green Belts, section 3 and (b) National Planning Policy Framework paragraphs 87 to 91 and 55; and what the circumstances and considerations were that outweighed the harm done to the green belt caused by the new developments which resulted in planning approval being given in each case.

Greg Clark: Planning policy on the green belt is outlined in Section 9 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
	Each planning application should be determined on its own facts and merits by a local planning authority in light of its local plan, the framework and other material considerations.
	The information requested on individual decisions is not centrally held.

Homelessness: Veterans

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to prevent homelessness among veterans.

Grant Shapps: This Government are committed to preventing and tackling homelessness and protecting the most vulnerable, including among veterans. That is why in 2011-12 we announced an additional £70 million homelessness investment package of £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund; £20 million Preventing Repossessions Fund; £20 million Single Homelessness Prevention Fund; £5 million boost to the Homelessness Change Programme (bringing the total investment to £42.5 million) and a £5 million Social Impact Bond to help rough sleepers in London using a payment by results model. This is on top of the £400 million investment over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15) to prevent homelessness, and the Supporting People investment at £6.5 billion over the same period will protect the preventative services that will help the most vulnerable live independently and retain their tenancies.
	The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness will shortly publish its second report on preventing homelessness which will include veterans. The latest figures from CHAIN highlight that only 4% of rough sleepers from the UK have experience of the armed forces.
	I am determined to ensure that current and former members of the armed forces gain the housing they deserve, recognising the sacrifices they have made for the country. I have therefore introduced measures to place members of the armed forces at the top of the priority list for home ownership schemes, including FirstBuy and instructing special agents to visit military bases to promote such schemes. We are also working with credit reference agencies and Royal Mail to standardise forces' post office addresses so personnel are not disadvantaged when applying for mortgages.
	We have also recently finished consulting on proposals to change the law to make it easier for service personnel to access social housing so that former personnel with urgent housing needs are always given high priority on waiting lists, and that personnel who move from base to base do not lose their qualification rights. Under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 priority need is granted to a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been a member of Her Majesty's regular naval, military or air forces.

Housing: Armed Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much additional funding his Department has allocated for adaptations to homes for wounded service personnel and veterans in each of the years between 2012-13 and 2016-17.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 28 June 2012
	My Department has signed up to the Ministry of Defence Covenant that aims to assist the nation’s service personnel when they return from active service. In each financial year of the current spending round, £1.7million—approximately 10% of the main national disabled facilities grant annual allocation that supports housing adaptations —is set aside for wounded ex-service personnel.

Housing: Regeneration

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 11W, on housing: regeneration, if he will estimate the number of homes (a) refurbished and (b) built under the Housing Market Pathfinder renewal programme between 1997 and 2010.

Grant Shapps: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 10W and the associated links to the programme reviews.

Local Government Finance

Louise Mensch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was collected by each local authority in England in national non-domestic rates in each of the last three years; and how much was received in Revenue Support Grant by each local authority in each such year.

Bob Neill: Information on the amount of national non-domestic rates collected by each local authority in England in each of the last three years can be found at the following address:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/nondomesticrates/outturn/outturndatalocallevel/
	Information on the amounts received in Revenue Support Grant by each local authority in England in the last three years can be found in row 851 of the Revenue Outturn Summary forms, which have been published as follows:
	2010-11
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/21237421.xls
	2009-10
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/2031728.xls
	2008-09
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1718972.xls

Non-domestic Rates: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in Pendle constituency received business rate hardship relief in 2011.

Bob Neill: This information is not collected centrally.

Planning Permission

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework, paragraphs 82 and 157, where the objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework are set out.

Greg Clark: The National Planning Policy Framework, at paragraph 6, is clear that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. To do this, the planning system needs to perform a number of mutually dependent roles: environmental, social and economic. Within these roles, paragraph 17 sets out a set or core land-use planning principles that should underpin plan-making and decision-taking.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultation documents have been issued by his Department since May 2010.

Bob Neill: The Department has published on its website 85 consultation documents since May 2010.
	
		
			  Consultations 
			 2012 (to date) 23 
			 2011 44 
			 2010 (May to end of 2010) 18 
			 Total 85 
		
	
	To place these figures in context, 66 consultation documents were published in 2009 alone.

Social Rented Housing

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of people with household earnings over £100,000 who are living in council or social housing; and on what evidential basis this estimate was reached.

Grant Shapps: The estimated number of social tenants with incomes over £100,000 is based on two surveys, the English Housing Survey (data for 2008-09 and 2009-10) and the Department for Work and Pensions' Family Resources Survey 2008-09. Almost 10,000 households living in the social rented sector were sampled in total. Incomes over £100,000 are relatively uncommon in the social sector so comparatively few respondents met these criteria. The range of households with incomes above this level, between 1,000 and 6,000, is therefore our best estimate of the actual number of high income tenants.
	Datasets from both surveys are deposited at the UK Data Archive and are available to external users.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he has given to introducing a minimum average wind speed requirement as part of the planning system and subsidy eligibility process in relation to wind turbine developments.

Bob Neill: The planning policies for renewable energy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework do not include any requirements relating to average wind speed or the subsidy eligibility process for wind turbines. The framework’s policies were finalised in the light of extensive public consultation.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will consider introducing guidelines for wind farm developers for the purposes of preventing unsuitable speculative sites from being considered.

Greg Clark: Communities should be protected from unacceptable impacts from new development, including wind farms. We are reforming the planning system to restore democratic and local control over planning.
	We want local decisions to be plan-led; our planning reforms make it clear that local councils can identify suitable areas for wind farms. Outside the areas identified in the plan, developers would be expected to show how the site meets the same suitability criteria contained in the Local plan. We have also underlined that meeting our energy goals is not an excuse for building wind farms in the wrong places.

SCOTLAND

Freedom of Information

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department received between 10 May 2010 and 31 May 2012; how many requests (a) were answered within 20 working days, (b) were answered between 20 and 40 working days, (c) were answered between 40 and 60 working days, (d) were answered between 60 and 80 working days, (e) were answered between 80 and 100 working days, (f) were answered after 100 working days and (g) remained unanswered after more than 100 working days.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office received 324 requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 between 10 May 2010 and 31 May 2012:
	(a) 294 were answered within 20 working days;
	(b) 17 were answered between 20 and 40 working days and nine of these were subject to an extension as permitted in legislation;
	(c) 4 were answered between 40 and 60 working days and all were subject to an extension as permitted in legislation;
	(d) 0 were answered between 60 and 80 working days;
	(e) 0 were answered between 80 and 100 working days;
	(f) 5 were answered after 100 working days and all were subject to an extension as permitted in legislation;
	(g) 1 remains unanswered after more than 100 working days and is subject to an extension as permitted in legislation.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars have been issued by his Department since May 2010; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

David Mundell: Since May 2010, the Scotland Office has issued (a) three publications (other than consultation documents), (b) two consultations documents, and (c) no circulars. The title of each publication and consultation document is listed as follows:
	Scotland Bill Command Paper: Strengthening Scotland's Future;
	Annual Report of the Scotland Office and the Office for the Advocate-General 2011;
	Scotland's constitutional future: A consultation on facilitating a legal, fair and decisive referendum on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom;
	Scotland's constitutional future: Responses to the consultation;
	Consultation on reforming the law on Scottish unincorporated associations and criminal liability of Scottish partnerships.

WALES

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars have been issued by her Department since May 2010; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

David Jones: Since May 2010, my Department has published one consultation document—‘A Green Paper on future electoral arrangements for the National Assembly for Wales’, which was published on 21 May 2012.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Corporation Tax

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in the ministerial sub-group on devolving the rate of corporation tax to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: The Ministerial Working Group met in Belfast on 25 June. The meeting was productive, but there remain some crucial areas of difference between members. As a result, the group announced that further work would be necessary. It agreed to meet again in September.

Economic Growth

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on encouraging and developing economic growth; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: These were matters that I discussed with the First Minister and deputy First Minister, the Minister for Finance and Personnel and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment when I last met them on 25 June in Belfast along with the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary.

Meat

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the moratorium on the use of desinewed meat; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: Neither I, nor the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), have had any discussions on this subject with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers. My right hon. Friend met the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development on 18 June to discuss agriculture issues but the matter was not raised by the DARD Minister.

Meat

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the moratorium on the use of desinewed meat; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Health and (b) Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the unilateral nature of the ban on desinewed ruminant meat products in April 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: These are matters primarily for the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), and in Northern Ireland for the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development.
	I have not been asked by Northern Ireland Ministers to discuss the issue with ministerial colleagues or the European Commission but I stand ready to do so if asked.

Public Expenditure

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the level of block grant to Northern Ireland was in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11, (d) 2011-12 and (e) 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of the likely level of block grant in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Owen Paterson: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Northern Ireland Executive DEL 
			 £ billion 
			  Outturn Provisional  o utturn Plans 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 NI block grant 10.5 10.9 11.2 10.8 10.8 10.8 10.9 
			 Note: The figures include depreciation and impairments.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Combined Heat and Power

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on carbon dioxide emissions of changes in the support available for electricity generation from combined heat and power.

Gregory Barker: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact on carbon dioxide emissions of changes in support for electricity generated by fossil fuel fired combined heat and power. The impacts of the changes announced in Budget 2011, and confirmed in Budget 2012, are summarised in the Tax Information and Impact Note published alongside Budget 2012. This can be found on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0700.pdf
	We are currently carrying out further analysis of the potential costs and impacts, including carbon impacts, of changing the support regime for fossil fuel combined heat and power jointly with stakeholders through a ministerial contact group.

Energy: Finance

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what agreements were reached on energy subsidy reform at the UN Rio+20 conference on Sustainable Development.

Gregory Barker: The Rio+20 conference endorsed the G20 commitment to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and invited other countries to take similar action.

Energy: Prices

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households there are in (a) England, (b) Bolton Metropolitan Borough and (c) Bolton North East constituency who spend more than 10 per cent of their income on fuel bills.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows the number of households living in fuel poverty by parliamentary constituency, local authority and for England, for the latest available year 2010.
	
		
			 Area Fuel poor households (thousand) Percentage living in fuel poverty (%) 
			 Bolton North East, constituency 8 20.4 
			 Bolton, local authority 23 19.7 
			 England 3,536 16.4

Energy: Prices

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of non-domestic energy users whose contracts are rolled over at the point of renewal.

Charles Hendry: DECC does not hold the information requested.
	Ofgem is responsible for the regulation of gas and electricity supply, including supply to the non-domestic sector. If a non-domestic customer does not notify their existing supplier that they wish to agree a new contract or switch to another supplier within the time limit set out in the terms of the contract, the supplier will roll over the contract for a further 12 months. This ensures that the non-domestic customer continues to receive their energy supply.

Energy: Prices

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that more business customers are made aware of (a) the contract end dates for their energy contracts and (b) the difference in price between their current and proposed renewal rates.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem is responsible for the regulation of gas and electricity supply, including supply to the non-domestic sector.
	Existing rules, which protect micro-business customers, require suppliers to provide clear and transparent contract terms and conditions, including sending the customer a reminder at least 30 calendar days before their existing contract is due to end and details of renewal prices.
	Earlier this year, Ofgem consulted on proposals to extend the existing protection on contractual terms and conditions to larger small business customers. Ofgem is considering consultation responses and plans to bring forward further proposals early next year.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with the Office of Fair Trading to ensure that it will allow Green Deal Finance to be attached to a property, rather than be treated as a loan attached to an individual; and if he will place in the Library a copy of any correspondence on this issue.

Gregory Barker: This is not a matter for the Office of Fair Trading and there have been no discussions or correspondence with the Office of Fair Trading on this issue. The Energy Act 2011 made provisions for Green Deal repayments to be made by the electricity bill payer for the property and collected through electricity bills. These powers will allow the charge to transfer automatically from bill payer to bill payer.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether there will be a cost to the public purse of the Minister for Climate Change's Green Deal road show in summer 2012; and if so what it will be.

Gregory Barker: This series of roadshows is designed to raise awareness of the Green Deal and the opportunities for new business that it presents, particularly to smaller companies around Great Britain. Over 1,600 companies will have attended the 11 events by the time they end on 20 July. The total cost to DECC is expected to be around £35,000, which equates to around £25 per delegate.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether Green Deal assessments will be able to combine Green Deal finance with funding from the renewable heat incentive and feed-in tariffs.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal Assessment will set out those measures expected to be eligible for Green Deal finance and the likely savings the household or business can expect to make. This is intended to provide the consumer with information to help them make an informed decision about the most appropriate financing route.
	Where the assessment shows that Green Deal finance will only cover part of the cost of the measure, the consumer may wish to access other available sources of finance as appropriate to cover the remaining cost.
	Our ambition is that in future it should be possible for somebody installing Microgeneration measures to receive both Green Deal loans and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) or Feed-in-tariff (FIT) payments. However, this cannot be confirmed until current state aid discussions with the European Commission have concluded.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much energy suppliers would be required to spend each year in order to meet their obligations under the carbon reduction element of the Energy Company Obligation if no household chooses to take out a Green Deal package.

Gregory Barker: The final Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation impact assessment:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/green-deal/5533-final-stage-impact-assessment-for-the-green-deal-a.pdf
	models a range of scenarios for the costs of delivering the Energy Company Obligation. One of these scenarios specifically considers the impact of low customer demand for Green Deal packages. However, we estimate that delivery of the final Energy Company Obligation targets should cost suppliers no more than £1.3 billion on average a year and, unlike previous energy efficiency schemes, we have the legislative powers to gather much better real time data on the actual costs of delivery.

Renewable Energy

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change by what means the contribution of bio-mass co-firing to renewable energy capacity targets is measured.

Charles Hendry: The UK's renewable energy targets are for generation and consumption; it does not have any renewable energy capacity targets.
	The contribution of biomass co-firing to renewable generation/consumption targets is measured by summing the number of renewables obligation certificates (ROCs) issued (by Ofgem) to generators for co-firing, and converting to a generation equivalent (using the number of ROCs per MWh).
	Biomass co-firing capacity is not included in the UK's total for renewable energy capacity, since it is not dedicated renewable capacity. However, it is estimated by dividing the annual generation from co-firing by the number of hours in the year (8,760).

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to extend the Warm Homes Discount data-sharing scheme in order to identify and target households to be assisted by the Green Deal and energy company obligation.

Gregory Barker: The State Pension Credit (Warm Home Discount) Regulations 2011 allow participating energy supply companies to use the information they receive through the Warm Home Discount scheme for the primary purpose of providing a discount on energy bills to pensioners whose data are matched. The Regulations also allow participating energy supply companies to use the information for other limited reasons, including providing people with measures, advice and assistance on energy and thermal efficiency. As such, participating companies could use this information to target the support they are required to deliver under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) from October 2012. Energy suppliers are also able to use the information they hold on additional Warm Home discount beneficiaries, beyond those pensioners found, through data matching, to target measures to a wider group of low income and vulnerable households.
	In addition the Government is working with energy supply companies to put in place a referrals mechanism through the Energy Saving Advice Service to help target ECO towards eligible households. This formed part of the consultation on the ECO held last year. In addition we are exploring whether Government data could be used to confirm a customer's eligibility, where the customer consents to this, before-the referral is passed on to an obligated energy supply company.
	There are no current plans for seeking wider legal consent data sharing powers for ECO and the Green Deal.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the average length of time for Atos to process applications for employment and support allowance; what targets his Department has set for processing applications; whether sanctions and penalties apply when timescales are not met; what timescale his Department sets for Atos to complete an application when his Department instructs Atos to expedite an application; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Atos Healthcare are not contracted to process applications for ESA. DWP will send a referral to Atos Healthcare as part of a customer's claim for ESA and they complete the work capability assessment process.
	The contracted service level is to clear medical assessments within an actual average clearance target (AACT) of 35 working days. There is no formal fast-track process to expedite individual referrals.
	Atos Healthcare report on performance against that target on a month-by-month basis.
	The Atos Healthcare average clearance (November 2011 to May 2012 ) against a target of 35 days is 62.8 days.
	The DWP contractual agreement with Atos Healthcare contains performance service levels (including customer service targets) which also contain financial remedies where there is service level failure, based on pre estimate of loss to the Department. The contractual performance of Atos Healthcare is monitored closely by DWP.

Atos

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the Atos complaints process; what the name and remit is of the body to which complaints are directed when they cannot or have not been resolved by Atos; to whom the body is accountable; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: 10% of Atos Healthcare complaint responses are routinely validated by DWP Medical Services Division through monthly audits. Atos Healthcare have a two tier complaints process, their 2nd tier addresses customer dissatisfaction with their response to the complaint. In such cases customers can request that their complaint is investigated by the independent tier. The independent tier is made up of two bodies, an independent assessor and a doctor. The independent assessor is a person from a private company and offers the DWP benefit claimant an independent review of the way their complaint has been handled by Atos Healthcare Medical services. An independent doctor will conduct medical quality reviews when there are issues within the complaint that relate to the quality of the medical report in question.
	DWP complaint resolution managers may also escalate complaints for a chief operating officer investigation or for review by the independent case examiner (ICE).

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to collect data for the Work programme on the number of different jobs taken by participants in order to achieve the weeks in employment required for job outcome payments or sustainment payments.

Chris Grayling: The Department requires providers to record job titles as part of the claim process and payment validation regime. The information is collected in free text and not suitable for management information collation.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he will publish job outcome data for the Work programme in autumn 2012 as (a) time-series cohorts and (b) percentages of total attachments.

Chris Grayling: The release plan for statistics on job outcomes and sustainment payments is dependent on the availability, reliability, quality and accuracy of the data. The details of what we will publish are still to be finalised. When details are finalised we will make an announcement.

Employment Schemes

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that primary contractors under the Work programme are engaging with third sector organisations with specialist experience of handling vulnerable groups.

Chris Grayling: The Department took steps to ensure that the level of community involvement was commensurate with the needs of Work programme customers during the procurement process. The specification stated that a key factor in the tender assessment process would be the supply chain and it was therefore in the interest of potential prime providers to engage with such organisations to enhance the support available.
	All subsequent changes to the supply chain are subject to scrutiny and agreement by departmental officials to ensure they are justified and that the service available through the Work programme is not reduced or compromised.

Employment Schemes: Ethnic Groups

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure that the Work Programme achieves equitable outcomes for black and minority ethnic participants.

Chris Grayling: Work Programme providers deliver personalised support, tailored to the individual needs of participants. The Department monitors the characteristics, including ethnicity, of participants referred to the Work Programme on an ongoing basis, and Work Programme providers are bound through the terms of their contract to prevent unlawful discrimination and promote equality of opportunity in respect of ethnicity.
	Furthermore DWP has commissioned a consortium led by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) to undertake an independent evaluation of the Work Programme. Evaluation work started in autumn 2011 and will conclude in 2014. This evaluation will consider the effectiveness of the programme for different types of participants, including black and minority ethnic participants.

Employment Schemes: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of contracts under the Work programme in Scotland has been awarded to voluntary organisations since the inception of the programme.

Chris Grayling: The Department only contracts with prime providers of the Work programme. Neither of the two prime providers operating in Scotland are from the voluntary and community sector (VCS). However, a stock take of the Work programme supply chain undertaken in January 2012 showed that in Scotland 57 of the 84 organisations in tier 1 (subcontractors delivering a specific element of the service, such as job-broking) and tier 2 (subcontractors working on a call-off basis, with no guarantee of volumes) are from the VCS, which equates to 68% of the supply chain.

Health and Safety Executive: Finance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of funding changes for the Health and Safety Executive on the number of workplace inspections it is able to carry out in (a) areas of comparatively high risk, (b) areas of concern and (c) lower risk areas.

Chris Grayling: The number of workplace inspections the Health and Safety Executive undertakes to (a) areas of comparatively high risk, (b) areas of concern and (c) lower risk areas is primarily a matter of policy rather than directly related to its funding settlement to 2014-15.

Housing Benefit

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households claiming housing benefit have at least one person in employment.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
	The economic status of all housing benefit (HB) recipients is not available. Information is only available for those HB recipients whose claim is not passported: that is for those who do not receive either income support, jobseeker’s allowance (income-based), employment and support allowance (income-based), or pension credit (guaranteed credit). A small proportion of the passported cases will be in part-time employment.
	The available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Housing benefit recipients, non-passported, in employment, Great Britain—March 2012 
			  All employed 
			 Total 882,890 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and March 2012 is the most recent available. 4. Passported status does not include recipients with unknown passported status. This data refers to people receiving housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified and are therefore not included in this analysis. 5. Case load is rounded to the nearest 10; Proportion to one decimal place. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Housing Benefit: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington who are in receipt of housing benefit are carers.

Steve Webb: Information on the number of housing benefit recipients who are carers is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Industrial Diseases: Lupus

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had on the inclusion of lupus within the Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Regulations 1985.

Chris Grayling: Lupus is not one of the prescribed diseases covered by the Industrial Injuries Scheme.
	I am advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on which diseases and related occupations should be included ('prescribed') in the list of diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) can be paid. The Council examines any existing or new scientific evidence on conditions where a link with a particular occupation is suggested.
	The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council is not aware of any published scientific evidence with regard to occupational causation and lupus.

Industrial Diseases: Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recourse is open to employees who have developed mitochondrial dysfunction as a result of industrial employment carried out prior to the introduction of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.

Chris Grayling: This condition is not one of the prescribed diseases covered by the Industrial Injuries Scheme.
	I am advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on which diseases and related occupations should be included (‘prescribed’) in the list of diseases for which industrial injuries disablement benefit (IIDB) can be paid. The council examines any existing or new scientific evidence on conditions where a link with a particular occupation is suggested.
	The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council is not aware of any published scientific evidence with regard to occupational causation involving mitochondrial dysfunction in relation to industrial diseases.
	This does not prevent people who feel their health has been affected by their work from seeking advice as to the possibility of taking civil action on the grounds of negligence.

Industrial Diseases: Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department provides to former workers with medium density fibreboard who go on to develop (a) mitochondrial dysfunction and (b) other industrial diseases.

Chris Grayling: Mitochondrial dysfunction is not one of the prescribed diseases covered by the Industrial Injuries Scheme.
	I am advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on which diseases and related occupations should be included (‘prescribed’) in the list of diseases for which industrial injuries disablement benefit (IIDB) can be paid. The council examines any existing or new scientific evidence on conditions where a link with a particular occupation is suggested.
	The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council is not aware of any published scientific evidence with regard to occupational causation involving medium density fibreboard and industrial diseases.

New Enterprise Allowance: Ethnic Groups

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that the new enterprise allowance attracts black or minority ethnic participants; and how he plans to monitor the success of those steps.

Chris Grayling: The new enterprise allowance is a voluntary scheme which is open to all jobseeker's allowance claimants from 26-weeks unemployment. All eligible claimants are informed about the scheme by Jobcentre Plus and, therefore, steps to attract specific groups are not required. Participants are self selecting and all claimants that express an interest are referred to a local mentoring partnership to have their business idea assessed. Take up of the scheme is reported each quarter via the official statistics published here:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/pwp/pwp_gbw_may12.pdf

New Enterprise Allowance: Ethnic Groups

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the successful applicants for the new enterprise allowance are of black or minority ethnic origin.

Chris Grayling: These statistics are published and are available on the Department's website:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/pwp/pwp_gbw_may12.pdf

Pensioners: Females

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many female pensioners there are in each (a) region, (b) county and (c) parliamentary constituency.

Steve Webb: Statistics on the number of females in receipt of state pension by region, county and parliamentary constituency are available from 100% data and are published on the Office for National Statistic’s website at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/
	Notes:
	1. The information does not include all females over state pension age. For example, those who have not claimed their state pension.
	2. To access the data use the Wizard query; select ‘all datasets by theme’; ‘DWP benefits’; ‘benefit claimants—state pension’; and select the categories of information required.

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to inform pensioners of the support and benefits available to them; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The Department automatically writes to people four months before their state pension age and provides them with information on how to claim state pension. When a customer claims state pension, or reports a change in their circumstances, a customer adviser will discuss a pension credit application with those who may appear eligible. For winter fuel, over 95% of payments are made automatically without the customer having to make a claim. Pensioners claiming pension credit can also claim housing benefit and council tax benefit in a single free phone call.
	The Department provides the unique opportunity to join up local community services by providing access to a range of non benefit-related services in support of well-being, independence and the later life agenda. Also, DWP is actively involved with around 4,000 local community partnerships across England, Scotland and Wales which provide a wide range of advice and support for pensioners. We have also developed a free pension credit toolkit for local organisations working with older people to use. The toolkit provides a range of resources to help advise workers and volunteers to understand more about who may be eligible for pension credit, how to identify potential customers and guide them through the application process.
	As more and more people go online, the Government’s website:
	www.direct.gov.uk
	is an increasingly significant method for providing information to pensioners, on the support and benefits available to them. This is supplemented by information in leaflets, letters and a local visiting service for more vulnerable customers.

Personal Independence Payment

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the economic effect of reducing access to Motability vehicles through the rollout of personal independence payments.

Maria Miller: Personal independence payment will continue to provide access to the Motability Scheme. Anyone in receipt of the enhanced mobility component of personal independence payment will be able to join the scheme if they wish to do so.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars have been issued by his Department since May 2010; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

Chris Grayling: Regarding the Department’s consultation documents, they are listed and published via the Department’s website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk
	There is not a centrally held list of all publications and circulars issued by this Department so it is not possible to provide the details requested as it would be at a disproportionate cost to request and collate the information required.

Social Security Benefits

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the saving to his Department of preventing the payment of non-contributory benefits to people not resident in the UK.

Chris Grayling: EU rules require us to pay the non-contributory winter fuel payment, carer's allowance, attendance allowance and the care component of disability living allowance to people who are resident in the EEA or Switzerland.
	In the 2010-11 financial year, the latest year for which outturn data are available, total spending by this Department on non-contributory benefits to those not resident in the UK was around £32 million. This expenditure is broken down by benefit in the following table:
	
		
			 Non-contributory benefit expenditure for people domiciled outside the UK, £ million, nominal, figures rounded to the nearest £ million 
			 2010-11 £ million 
			 Winter fuel payments 16 
			 Attendance allowance 3 
			 Carer's allowance 0 
			 Disability living allowance 11 
			 Severe disablement allowance 2 
			 Sources: 1. DWP benefit expenditure tables, available at http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure 2. Winter fuel payments information taken from DWP Statistical and Accounting Data. 3. Figures may include a very small amount of expenditure where the claimant's residence is not known. 
		
	
	However, as future migration patterns and benefit take-up rates are uncertain, we cannot be sure that future expenditure will be similar to past expenditure.

Social Security Benefits: Internet

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason his Department's Services and Benefits Online service is only accessible using proprietary Microsoft software and not using Macintosh or Unix systems.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions has introduced a number of major online services over the last few years. These include Benefit Adviser, Jobseeker’s Allowance Online, State Pension Online and Real Time Pension Forecasting, which are accessible from multiple platforms and browsers, including Macintosh and Unix systems.
	A small number of the Department's oldest online services are accessible only through Microsoft platforms. These include Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Child Maintenance, which signpost customers/claimants to alternative telephony channels if required and are being replaced.
	All new and replacement systems will be compatible with Macintosh, Unix and Microsoft platforms including popular browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Chrome. This is part of the Government's 'digital by default' strategy.

Social Security Benefits: School Leaving

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual cost of school leavers going straight on to benefits was in each of the last five years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Timber: Health Hazards

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of any relationship between intensive occupational work with medium density fibreboard and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Chris Grayling: This condition is not one of the prescribed diseases covered by the Industrial Injuries Scheme.
	I am advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on which diseases and related occupations should be included ('prescribed') in the list of diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) can be paid. The Council examines any existing or new scientific evidence on conditions where a link with a particular occupation is suggested.
	The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council is not aware of any published scientific evidence with regard to occupational causation involving medium density fibreboard and industrial diseases.

Unemployment: Bradford

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to reduce unemployment in Bradford West constituency.

Chris Grayling: The Department is aware of the challenges facing jobseekers in the labour market and has put in place a substantial menu of support to help them move into work.
	Jobcentre Plus currently offers claimants a comprehensive menu of help including skills provision and job search support. All jobseeker’s allowance claimants have access to the Flexible Support Fund which is targeted to help claimants overcome barriers to employment.
	This is bolstered by a number of Get Britain Working measures including:
	work experience;
	work clubs; and
	support for those looking to start their own business known as the new enterprise allowance.
	The Work programme provides tailored support to those claimants furthest from the labour market. Claimants with more challenging barriers to work can be referred early. Providers are paid on the results they achieve, and are paid more for supporting the hardest to help into sustained work.
	The Youth Contract, launched on 2 April, will provide nearly half a million new opportunities for young people including:
	wage incentives for employers taking on a claimant from the Work programme;
	incentives to take on apprentices; and
	extra work experience places.
	Extra funding is being made available to support the most vulnerable 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training, into learning, an apprenticeship or a job with training.

Unemployment: Ethnic Groups

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the high level of unemployment among young black men; and what steps he proposes to take to tackle this problem.

Chris Grayling: This Government is moving beyond defining people simply because they have ticked a box on a form. Our approach is to support people according to their individual needs and circumstances rather than segregate people according to ethnicity. That is why we have introduced personalised support, through the Work Programme, the Youth Contract and Get Britain Working Measures. The significantly increased flexibility that we have given to providers and Jobcentre Plus means that interventions can be tailored to address an individual's specific needs.

Unemployment: Ethnic Groups

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the high level of unemployment among women of Bangladeshi and Pakistani background; and what steps he plans to take to tackle this problem.

Chris Grayling: This Government is moving beyond defining people simply because they have ticked a box on a form. Our approach is to support people according to their individual needs and circumstances rather than segregate people according to ethnicity. That is why we have introduced personalised support, through the Work Programme, the Youth Contract and Get Britain Working Measures. The significantly increased flexibility that we have given to providers and Jobcentre Plus means that interventions can be tailored to address an individual's specific needs.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the business case for universal credit contains an estimate of the effect on total hours worked.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit is designed to help people into work. The impact assessment published alongside the Welfare Reform Bill set out an estimate of how universal credit will increase the number of people in work. The business case is an internal document which sets out the costs and benefits of universal credit, this also includes estimates of the positive employment impacts of universal credit.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether direct payment of the housing element of universal credit to (a) social or council tenants and (b) private sector tenants will be operational in time for the rollout of universal credit in October 2013.

Steve Webb: From October 2013, the Department for Work and Pensions will have the capability, where a need is identified, to make payments from a universal credit award directly to the landlord as well as to-the claimant.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2012, Official Report, column 794W, on universal credit, what options he is considering to ensure that universal credit is payable to people without a bank account.

Chris Grayling: Wherever possible, universal credit will be paid directly into a claimant's bank or building society account. Facilities such as direct debits and standing orders are important tools for helping claimants to managing their benefit payments and for gaining access to discounts for household bills which are especially important for those on low incomes. We are working with a range of banking and financial product providers to encourage more claimants to use a bank account for managing their earnings and benefit income.
	For those claimants who cannot access any form of bank account the Department has signed a seven year contract with Citibank, working in partnership with PayPoint to provide a new Simple Payment service as an alternative to cheque payments.
	The Simple Payment service is based on the electronic transfer of funds in the same way that the Bacs system works for direct payment into a bank/building society account and has been designed specifically for those people who are unable to make use of mainstream bank accounts.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who is responsible for carrying out the mystery shopper visits to Atos medical assessment centres.

Chris Grayling: The Atos Healthcare area service delivery manager is responsible for carrying out the mystery shopper visits to Atos medical assessment centres.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mystery shopper visits were undertaken at Atos Medical Assessment Centres in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date; and at what locations.

Chris Grayling: Mystery shopping visits were undertaken at medical assessment centres (MAC) for specific contractual years from September to August.
	143 were completed in 2010-11 and 57 for 2011-12 (to date).
	
		
			 Number 
			 Locations 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Birmingham 7 0 
			 Bootle 12 0 
			 Bristol 14 2 
			 Cardiff 19 9 
			 Croydon 12 0 
			 Leeds 13 14 
			 Manchester 6 3 
			 Newcastle 6 5 
			 Nottingham 17 4 
			 Scotland 29 15 
			 Wembley 8 5 
			 Total 143 57

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 624-5W on Crown Prosecution Service: York, if he will place in the Library a copy of the business case prepared to estimate the cost and benefits of co-locating the Crown Prosecution Service and police staff at Athena House, York.

Edward Garnier: A copy of the business case referred to in my answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 624-25W, has been placed in the Library of the House.

Drugs: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Attorney-General how many residents of (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands were prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service for (i) possession of, (ii) possession with intent to supply, (iii) supplying and (iv) producing (A) class A, (B) class B and (C) class C drugs in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the place of residence of the defendants they prosecute. This data could only be obtained by examining all of the CPS's files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Attorney-General what regulations the Law Officers' Departments introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse in each case.

Dominic Grieve: None.

RSPB: Prosecutions

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions brought by the RSPB were taken over by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in each of the last three years; how many such prosecutions were successful; how many were lost; and how many the CPS decided not to proceed with.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any central data on the number of requests for private prosecutions to be taken over by the CPS prior to February 2011. Since this date, CPS areas have been required to notify any such requests to the Director of Public Prosecutions' (DPP) Principal Legal Advisor (PLA). The PLA has to date received no notifications that the CPS has taken over any prosecutions brought by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

RSPCA: Prosecutions

Simon Hart: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions brought by the RSPCA have been taken over by the Crown Prosecution Service in the last three years; and how many of those were (a) successfully prosecuted, (b) lost and (c) not proceeded with.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any central data on the number of requests for private prosecutions to be taken over by the CPS prior to February 2011. Since this date, CPS areas have been required to notify any such requests to the Director of Public Prosecutions' (DPP) Principal Legal Advisor (PLA). The PLA has to date received no notifications that the CPS has taken over any prosecutions brought by the RSPCA.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much of the £680 million allocated to improve broadband speeds is being spent in each region.

Edward Vaizey: The allocations for each project area have been published on the Department's website and can be found at the following link:
	https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah3sVRjT 82KKdE9UUjl2VEJDaWZHV1BldXgzUDdxcWc#gid=0
	https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah3sVRjT82KKdE 9UUjl2VEJDaWZHV1BldXgzUDdxcWc

Broadband: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to implement superfast broadband in (a) the north-west and (b) Warrington.

Edward Vaizey: All the local broadband plans for the north-west have been approved by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), including the one covering Warrington. BDUK is also supporting the project teams to prepare for procurement and will continue to support them throughout the process.

Internet: Children

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to improve the safety of children using the internet.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has worked, and continues to work, closely with the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) on a number of activities. UKCCIS is co-chaired by the Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, Department for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton), and the Minister for Equalities and Under-Secretary of State for Criminal Information, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone). I am a UKCCIS Executive Board Member.
	DCMS has worked closely with UKCCIS on a number of recent activities including the launch of their guidance for industry, which ensures parents and children are provided with consistent advice when using internet services and activities; and the Safer Internet Day in February and the recent UKCCIS summit (28 June 2012) which saw the launch of UKCCIS's discussion paper on parental controls and active choice.

Mobile Phones

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects Ofcom to publish the rules which will govern the auction of 4G licences.

Edward Vaizey: This is a matter for Ofcom, the independent regulator. Ofcom are currently considering the responses received as a result of their recent consultation which closed on 22 March and are expected to make a statement, setting out the auction rules, in the summer.
	Ofcom remain on schedule for the UK auction process to start by the end of 2012. This is compatible with the spectrum becoming available to allow successful bidders to start rolling out 4G services in these bands in 2013.

Olympic Games 2012

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will assess the compliance of London 2012 Olympic signage with the International Olympic Committee's requirements for French/English bilingualism.

Hugh Robertson: The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is responsible for meeting the requirements set out by the International Olympic Committee on the use of the English and French languages. Signage within Games Venues will be in English and in French, where appropriate.

Sports: Grants

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of how much each sport governing body will invest in grass roots sport as a result of the agreement on contributions from their broadcasting income; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of how much the Premier League will invest in grass roots sport as a result of the agreement on contributions from their broadcasting income; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Sports bodies that are signatories to the Sport and Recreation Alliance voluntary code on sports broadcasting commit to reinvest at least 30% of their net UK television broadcasting revenues in grassroots sport Although individual contributions are kept in confidence, the sports broadcasting monitoring committee have verified that they do meet this benchmark and estimate the yearly sum from all signatories to be in excess of £250 million.
	The Premier League is a signatory to the Alliance’s voluntary code on sports broadcasting and we are confident they will continue to fund in excess of 30% of their net UK broadcasting revenues to support grassroots football.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Compensation

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British nationals successfully claimed compensation under EU regulations for flights to and from EU member states that were cancelled or delayed in each year since the coming into force of those regulations; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: This information is not available.
	Complaints about cancellations and delays under Regulation EC261/2004 are handled by the relevant National Enforcement Bodies (NEBs) in the country where the cancellation or delay occurred. Therefore a British national will be in contact with the appropriate NEB rather than the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) if their flight was cancelled or delayed outside the UK. The CAA will handle complaints from British nationals and non British nationals if the cancellation or delay occurred in the UK. The CAA does not record the nationality or residency in all cases.
	In addition the CAA will only handle complaints where a passenger has been unable to reach a resolution with an airline and therefore does not have figures for successful cases where the CAA has not been involved.

Aviation: Fares

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on the average cost of flights from London airports to other EU member state capitals in each of the last 20 years; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The following table gives estimates of the average one-way fare between airports in London and in the state capitals of other EU-27 countries. These estimates are based on data collected via the International Passenger Survey. There was a change in methodology in 2007, which may partly explain the increase in fares in this year. It is also worth noting that the sample sizes for some destinations are very small and the distribution of destinations has changed over time, as the number of flights to different destinations have changed at different rates. These figures should therefore be interpreted with caution.
	
		
			 Estimated one-way air fare between London airports and other EU member state capitals, 2000-10 
			  Average single fare (1 ) (£) Unweighted sample size 
			 2000 141 7,263 
			 2001 130 7,445 
			 2002 118 6,931 
			 2003 104 6,781 
			 2004 93 6,823 
			 2005 91 7,400 
			 2006 90 7,491 
			 2007 95 3,918 
			 2008 92 3,623 
			 2009 94 5,163 
			 2010 90 5,052 
			 (1 )Real 2010 prices.

Cycling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will consider the proposals made by the Cycling Stakeholder Forum for a cross-departmental action plan to increase cycle use and improve the safety of cyclists.

Norman Baker: holding answer 28 June 2012
	I have seen the proposals from the Cycling Stakeholder Forum and discussed them with the group.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency call centres are set targets in respect of average waiting times.

Michael Penning: There are no set targets specifically for average waiting times. There is a customer service measure to answer 95% of all calls connected to the contact centre. This is a Secretary of State target. There is also an internal target to answer 70% of all calls queued to an adviser within 30 seconds. In 2011-12 the contact centre achieved 98% against the 95% target and 78% against the internal target of 70%. The average speed of answer for 2011-12 was 28 seconds.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions her Department has had with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on the sale of driver information to private companies; and if she will estimate the proportion of such sales that were related to the pursuit of motorists for parking and speeding fines incurred in other EU member states in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: Department for Transport and Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) officials liaise closely on matters relating to the release of data from the DVLA's records.
	The following table shows the percentage of requests for registered keeper details to pursue parking and speeding contraventions incurred in other EU member states as a proportion of all fee paying requests for keeper details.
	
		
			  Percentage of requests 
			 2007-08 0.3 
			 2008-09 0.82 
			 2009-10 1.57 
			 2010-11 1.38 
			 2011-12 1.14

Driving Offences

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions her Department has had with local authorities on the resolution of outstanding motoring offences committed by foreign drivers visiting the UK; and if she will estimate the financial value of unpaid fixed penalty notices issued to foreign drivers visiting the UK in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: Fixed penalty notices are criminal sanctions, usually issued by the police. My Department has not had recent discussions with local authorities specifically about these offences in relation to foreign drivers. The Department does not hold information on the value of unpaid fixed penalties for each of the last five years.
	Under the graduated fixed penalty and deposit scheme enforcement agencies can stop drivers who commit motoring offences on UK roads and take a deposit from those that are unable to provide an address in the UK. Since its introduction in May 2009, £5.6 million has been paid in deposits.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information she holds on the average seat occupancy rate on flights (a) departing from and (b) arriving at Heathrow in the latest period for which such figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: In 2011, the average seat occupancy rate on flights at Heathrow was estimated to be 73% on both departing and arriving flights.

Holidays: Compensation

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British nationals, whose holiday provider had gone bankrupt, received compensation under EU Regulations in (a) total and (b) each year since the coming into force of such regulations; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The EU Package Travel Directive, implemented in the UK through the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 (the PTRs), requires organizers of package holidays, amongst other obligations, to provide sufficient evidence of security for the refund of money paid over and for the repatriation of the consumer in the event of insolvency.
	For package holidays including a flight, package holiday organisers meet this obligation by holding and complying with the requirements of a licence issued under the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) scheme. Between 23 December 1992, the date the PTRs came into effect, and 31 March 2011, 202,216 passengers were repatriated and 933,624 passengers received a refund under the ATOL scheme. Details of the number of passengers that received refunds and repatriation assistance under the ATOL scheme for the years between 23 December 1992 and 31 March 2011 are in table 1 as follows.
	Package holiday organisers for package holidays that do not include a flight cannot be part of the ATOL scheme but have a choice of other ways to provide insolvency protection for consumers. The Government do not hold figures for the number of passengers that have received refunds or been repatriated under these arrangements.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of consumers repatriated or refunded during each year ending 31 March (unless otherwise specified) under the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) scheme 
			  Repatriations Refunds Total 
			 1993(1) 1,476 64,658 66,134 
			 1994 10,560 22,269 32,829 
			 1995 11,417 124,641 136,058 
			 1996 13,816 20,814 34,630 
			 1997 19,343 61,824 81,167 
			 1998 7,439 25,049 32,488 
			 1999 11,559 24,459 36,018 
			 2000 668 9,934 10,602 
			 2001 187 4,775 4,962 
			 2002 6,567 13,144 19,711 
			 2003 516 3,849 4,365 
			 2004 1,984 11,880 13,864 
			 2005 11,634 21,969 33,603 
			 2006 1,754 21,858 23,612 
			 2007 4,706 54,116 58,822 
			 2008 1,650 20,771 22,421 
			 2009 47,482 236,691 284,173 
			 2010 2,445 45,114 47,559 
			 2011 47,013 145,809 192,822 
			 Total 202,216 933,624 1,135,840 
			 (1) 23 December 1992-31 March 1993. Source: Air Travel Trust Report and Accounts 1993-2010 and Air Travel Trust Report and Financial Statements 2011

Motor Vehicles: Testing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the average additional travel (a) cost and (b) distance for hauliers arising from closure of authorised testing facilities.

Michael Penning: There are no plans to close any authorised testing facilities (ATFs) and to date no ATFs have closed.
	With 217 ATFs now available it is likely that the distance to a test site for hauliers has decreased.

Portland Harbour

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to close Portland Harbour; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: There are no plans to close Portland Harbour. There are however restrictions to the use of Portland Harbour during the period of the Olympics and Paralympics. During certain competition times the harbour will be closed to marine traffic. These restrictions and closures do not extend beyond the duration of the games.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) consultation documents and (b) publications have been issued by her Department since May 2010.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its seven executive agencies are required to publish information about their respective publications and consultations on their corporate websites. Details of individual publications published since May 2010 can be found using the standard search enquiry on each site. A list of publication web addresses for each DfT organisation is as follows:
	DfT and DSA
	1. DfT and DSA publications 2010:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications?year=2010
	2. DfT and DSA publications 2011:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications?year=2011
	3. DfT and DSA publications 2012:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications?year=2012
	4. DfT and DSA consultations 2010:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations?year=2010
	5. DfT and DSA consultations 2011:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations?year=2011
	6. DfT and DSA consultations 2012:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations?year=2012
	VCA
	7. VCA downloads:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/vca/downloads/index.asp
	HA
	8. HA publications:
	http://www.highways.gov.uk/aboutus/136.aspx
	9. HA consultations:
	http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/133.aspx
	MCA
	10. MCA publications:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/newsandpublications/mcga-publications.htm
	11. MCA consultations:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07-home/shipsandcargoes/consultations.htm
	GCDA
	12. GCDA publications:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/gcda/about/documents.php
	DVLA
	13. DVLA publications:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/publications.aspx
	14. DVLA consultations:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/consultations.aspx
	VOSA
	15. VOSA consultations:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/publications/publications.htm
	16. VOSA publications:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/publications/consultationsandresearch/consultationsandresearch.htm

Railways: Franchises

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to include (a) Transport for London, (b) Kent county council and (c) other local authorities in the decision-making process for the new Integrated Kent Franchise.

Theresa Villiers: Transport for London, Kent county council and other local authorities (particularly East Sussex county council) will be key stakeholders in developing the new South Eastern franchise. They are formal consultees in the public consultation launched by DFT on 21 June. They are invited to purchase enhancements to the services in their area. Alternatively, they have the option to propose ways in which funding could be reallocated in their area by reductions on some routes in order to fund new priorities for rail service expansion elsewhere in their local area.
	Separately, the Department has consulted on ideas for decentralising more decisions on rail franchising. This consultation ended on 28 June.

Railways: Tickets

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds her Department has allocated to support the extension of the Oyster card fare payment system; by what means train operating companies can bid for such funding; what criteria such bids must meet to be successful; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: As part of the November Growth Review, the Government allocated £45 million to support the installation of smart ticketing equipment in a large number of stations in the South East.
	This will allow train operators to offer flexible ticketing products on their networks more quickly than would have been possible if we had waited for the start of new franchises to make progress. This equipment will enable ITSO compliant smart tickets to be used on these routes. By January 2014 the DfT's ITSO on Prestige project will enable ITSO smart cards to be accepted by Oyster readers and used across London.
	These initiatives will build on the investment that has already been made, for example by including mandatory smart ticketing requirements in the franchises for East Midlands, London Midland, Southern and Southwest trains. TfL is also working on various Oyster related initiatives and emerging contactless bankcard solutions.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions each maritime coastguard station has taken over complete operational control of its paired station for a period of more than two hours; and during times of pairing how many rescue incidents were dealt with successfully, in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The current pairing arrangements—the Area Operations concept where two MRCC are technically and operationally capable of mutual support—were introduced in 2005.
	These arrangements are an innate aspect of current HM Coastguard operations and happen on a regular basis and therefore the Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not keep records of instances where pairing is undertaken on operational grounds.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  on how many occasions staff from one maritime coast guard station have carried out training in their paired station's operations room, by station, in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many recorded training hours staff of each maritime coastguard station have spent in the operations room of its paired station in order to gain local knowledge of that station.

Michael Penning: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has not specifically recorded this information.
	The current pairing arrangements—the area operations concept where two Maritime Rescue coordination centres are technically and operationally capable of mutual support—were introduced in 2005. These arrangements are an innate aspect of current Her Majesty's Coastguard operations and happen on a regular basis and therefore the MCA does not keep records of instances where pairing is undertaken on operational grounds.

Rescue Services

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what testing will take place prior to the proposed closure of the maritime rescue and co-ordination centre at Clyde in December 2012.

Michael Penning: Preparations have been under way since the announcement on 22 November 2011 for the closure of Clyde. Testing will be carried out prior to the closure of Clyde Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) to ensure that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is able to maintain the same quality of search and rescue service as at present.
	This will include the management of Clyde MRCC's current operational area by the centres at Belfast and Stornoway, while Clyde is still operational, to ensure a smooth transition. Staff from these three centres are already carrying out cross-training.

Rescue Services

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish the evidence supporting her Department's claim that the closure of maritime rescue and co-ordination centres will not affect the safety of mariners off the West Coast of Scotland.

Michael Penning: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has assessed on a national basis the safety risks in relation to HM Coastguard's current operation and how these are mitigated by the new structure. The MCA has also assessed the impact of the new structure on HM Coastguard's capability to deliver its national service.
	These assessments, as well as a location impact assessment, location rationale and supporting tables showing factors taken into consideration in the proposed choice of Coastguard Centres, have been published on the MCA's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential effect on new entrants to farming of freedom contracts replacing the landlord and tenant structure.

James Paice: There has been no assessment by DEFRA of the potential effects for new entrants of the replacement of the landlord and tenant structure by freedom contracts.

Agriculture: Reservoirs

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on allowing farmers with reservoirs to recharge them during periods of heavy rainfall outside of the recharge season.

Richard Benyon: The result of two dry winters in 2010-11 and 2011-12 has prevented many farmers from filling their reservoirs. The Environment Agency recognised the difficulties farmers would face this summer, and gave them the opportunity to temporarily fill reservoirs outside the normal abstraction period and apply to take summer high flows at a reduced rate.
	Heavy rain coincided with the Environment Agency's flexibility, and the majority of farm reservoirs are now full. A small number of farmers have applied to permanently extend their abstraction period and take high flows in summer.
	The Environment Agency is encouraging farmers to review their licences now and make this ‘water security check' a regular feature of their business planning. Those that do could be in a much stronger position during future dry periods.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent advice she has received on the phasing out of direct subsidy payments to farmers in the UK.

James Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), and I receive regular representations from both officials and stakeholders, and are in discussions with European and Devolved Administration counterparts on the subject of direct payments.
	In addition, the UK Government consulted on the Commission's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform communication, prior to publishing its response document in January 2011. We were very keen to hear what stakeholders thought after publication of the regulatory proposals on 12 October 2011, and published a discussion paper and questionnaire inviting responses. The responses received have been considered and help to inform the UK Government's position on the proposals.
	The UK Government is committed to the gradual reduction of direct support under Pillar 1 and a CAP that moves away from market-distorting subsidies while helping to build the capacity, competitiveness, productivity and resilience of EU farmers. We are committed to an increasing focus on actions under Pillar 2, providing environmental public goods that the market cannot deliver.

Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage farmer producers to raise animals with higher levels of welfare.

James Paice: This Government sees the promotion of high animal welfare standards across all areas of agricultural activity as essential to the long-term sustainability of the farming sector.
	We continue to make significant efforts to educate farmers of their obligations with regard to legislative requirements and to encourage good welfare. DEFRA’s welfare codes of recommendations aim to encourage farmers to adopt the highest standards of animal husbandry. Without good stockmanship, animal welfare can never be adequately protected. Livestock farmers and employers are required by law to ensure that all those attending to their livestock are familiar with, and have access to, the relevant codes.
	Over a number of years ADAS, on behalf of DEFRA, have provided comprehensive welfare advice through a variety of media to producers and private veterinary surgeons to promote good stockmanship and to provide guidance on a wide range of on-farm animal welfare issues.
	The RDPE Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme and Rural Economy Grants provide funding to farmers and other businesses in England toward the cost of capital expenditure aimed at improving competitiveness. The improvement of the health and welfare of farm animals is one of the key themes of the schemes with improvement measures over and above standard farm practice being eligible for funding.

Animals: Imports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals have been detected being illegally brought into the UK in each of the last five years.

James Paice: The total numbers of animals that have been detected as being illegally brought into the UK in the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 (January-May) 
			 Dogs 132 129 91 110 163 
			 Cats 84 79 65 46 48 
			 Other mammals 0 3 4 5 1 
			 Total 216 211 160 161 212 
		
	
	All animals that are found to have been illegally brought into the UK are immediately placed into quarantine as part of the robust disease control arrangements we have in place.

Animals: Imports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals were imported into the UK to be sold as pets in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Paice: The number of dogs, cats and ferrets that have been imported into the UK under commercial rules in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 Imports into the UK from other EU member states 
			  Total 
			 2008 121 
			 2009 214 
			 2010 557 
			 2011 539 
			 2012 (January-May) 460 
		
	
	
		
			 Imports into the UK from outside of the EU 
			  Total 
			 2008 5,051 
			 2009 4,621 
			 2010 6,388 
			 2011 6,765 
			 2012 (January-May) 4,452 
		
	
	Importers are not required to specify whether these animals are to be sold as pets. The above data is derived from the European Commission's Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES).

Birds of Prey

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether her Department has allocated any funding to (a) research into ways of reducing the buzzard population in or near pheasant shoots and (b) reducing the buzzard population;
	(2)  what consultation she plans to have (a) within and (b) outside Parliament on proposals to reduce the buzzard population in or near pheasant shoots.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not allocated any funding for use in reducing the buzzard population. DEFRA funded the Food and Environment Research Agency to undertake a desk study in January 2012 entitled ‘Approaches to mitigating bird of prey conflicts with pheasants at release pens, outdoor poultry and lambs’ at a total cost of £24,694. The report can be found on the DEFRA website.
	DEFRA has made provision for up to £125,000 to be available in each of the current and following two financial years for additional research to look at the relationship between raptors (including buzzards), livestock, wildlife and game birds. DEFRA will collaborate with all the organisations that have an interest in this issue to identify and develop any future research proposals.

Birds: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has considered the reintroduction of brent geese to the quarry list; and what discussions she has had with the Countryside Alliance and British Association for Shooting and Conservation on that matter.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has not considered placing the brent goose on schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (‘the quarry list’), and has had no discussions on the matter with either the Countryside Alliance or the British Association for Shooting and Conservation.

Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will review the effectiveness of the provisions of the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999.

James Paice: The Government has no proposals to review the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999. The independent Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding under the chairmanship of Professor Sheila Crispin, works with key dog interest groups such as The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust to try and tackle problems associated with the health and welfare of dog breeding. I will of course consider any recommendations that the Council make.

Cattle: Exports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live male dairy calves were exported in each of the last five years.

James Paice: While we collect figures for the numbers of cattle exported, we do not collect information on their age or gender and therefore are unable to provide the information requested.

Dog Control Orders

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dog control orders have been issued in (a) England and Wales, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) Ashfield constituency in the last three years.

James Paice: DEFRA holds no central records for Dog Control Orders. This information is only held by individual local authorities, for the Dog Control Orders issued in their own area.

Energy: Conservation

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the likely (a) average net contribution to the economy and (b) reductions in carbon emissions of the combined effect of the EU Energy Labelling Directive and Eco-design for Energy Using Products Framework Directive in the next 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Improvements in the sustainability and energy efficiency of domestic, commercial and industrial energy-using products and appliances are recognised as one of the most cost-effective ways of reducing energy demand, carbon emissions and energy bills. A number of measures relating to the Eco-design for energy using products framework directive and the EU energy labelling directive to improve these types of products have been, or are in the process of being, agreed at European level.
	Measures agreed so far include minimum energy performance standards and energy labels for products which include televisions, washing machines and fridge freezers. These are projected to reduce UK emissions by around 7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtC02e) in 2020, with corresponding net benefits to society of approximately £10 billion over the next 10 years.
	It is estimated that the next set of measures to be agreed will save a further six MtC02e in 2020, with corresponding net benefits to society of approximately £5.5 billion over the next 10 years.

EU Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department made to the European Commission at the time that (a) Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 and (b) Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 were negotiated.

James Paice: DEFRA and its predecessor MAFF were directly involved in all EU negotiations that led to the adoption of the TSE Regulation (EC) 999/2001.
	The proposal for a TSE Regulation was adopted by the Commission in November 1998 and is based on Article 152(4b) of the Treaty on the protection of public health. The European Parliament adopted its opinion in first reading on 17 May 2000. A Common Position, incorporating all key amendments of the European Parliament was unanimously agreed by the Council in February 2001.
	Since its adoption, the regulation has been amended over 40 times to adjust it to new developments and scientific evidence. A comprehensive chronology of BSE/TSE legislation in the EU is available on the European Commission's website. The EU's measures to fight TSE's have led to a significant reduction in cases.
	The Commission's TSE Roadmap 2, published in July 2010, notes that the positive trend in the BSE epidemic has continued since 2005, when the European Commission's first TSE Roadmap was published, and that the impact of BSE on human health appears to be more limited than initially feared. The Commission's objective for the coming years is to continue to review the TSE measures while assuring a high level of food safety. Amendments to the TSE measures will be stepwise and supported by scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
	DEFRA continues to contribute to EU negotiations for more proportionate TSE controls and surveillance, to reduce the economic burden and contribute to a sustainable farming sector.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) contributed to these negotiations in respect of the food safety aspects of Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001, which fall within the policy remit of the FSA. Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 sets down food hygiene rules for products of animal origin which fall within the policy remit of the FSA. The FSA was the lead Government Department in negotiations at European level on Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004. As such, no representations were made by DEFRA to the European Commission at the time the Regulation was negotiated, but DEFRA liaised as appropriate with the FSA.

Fish Farming

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of fish was farmed in UK waters in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The following amounts of fish were farmed in the UK in each of the last five years:
	In 2007: 159,000 tonnes finfish and 27,500 tonnes shellfish;
	In 2008: 144,000 tonnes finfish and 35,500 tonnes shellfish;
	In 2009: 161,000 tonnes finfish and 35,600 tonnes shellfish;
	In 2010: 170,000 tonnes finfish and 31,500 tonnes shellfish; .and
	In 2011: 171,000 tonnes finfish and 32,000 tonnes shellfish.
	The data include fish farmed in both freshwater and marine waters, and include both natural and artificial waters. Around 65-75% of the total fish farmed in each year is Scottish salmon.

Fisheries

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish a register of all UK fishermen; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: We do not currently have plans to publish a register of all UK fishermen. We are planning to publish a register of all holders of fixed quota allocation (FQA) units during the course of 2013. We are undertaking this work in conjunction with the devolved Administrations.

Meat: Imports

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of (a) desinewed meat, (b) mechanically separated meat and (c) 3mm Boarder meat have been imported into the UK from (i) ruminants and (ii) non-ruminants from (A) Holland, (B) Italy, (C) Spain, (D) France, (E) Austria, (F) Poland and (G) other EU member states since the end of April 2012.

James Paice: It is not possible to identify quantities of desinewed, mechanically recovered or boarder meat from the available trade figures.

Nanotechnology

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if her Department will review the arrangements for the regulation of the emission or use of nanoparticles.

Richard Benyon: The European Commission has been undertaking a thorough review of arrangements for the regulation of manufactured nanomaterials and nanoparticles over the past year or so, following a request from the European Parliament. DEFRA officials have actively contributed to the exercise. We will carefully study the Commission's findings once they have been published.

Nanotechnology

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will bring forward legislative proposals to regulate nanoparticles smaller than PM 2.5.

Richard Benyon: The manufacture, use and importation of chemical substances, including manufactured nanoparticles, is covered by the EU Regulation 1907/2006 on industrial chemicals, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. UK officials have actively contributed to a European Commission review of REACH. The review is expected to report later this year on, among other things, the way in which the regulation addresses manufactured nanomaterials. We will carefully consider the findings once published. Elsewhere, there are currently no plans to specifically regulate nanoparticles below PM 2.5.

Nanotechnology

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of research into the toxicology of nanoparticles; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The UK is a key contributor to the global nanosafety effort, much of which is brought together through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's priority nanomaterials sponsorship programme. This £50 million research collaboration is expected to start delivering results of its research into the toxicity and effects of manufactured nanomaterials soon. This will further our understanding of the basis for measures that might be needed to manage potential risks.

Nanotechnology

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the feasibility of utilising electron microscopy in the evaluation of nanoparticles.

Richard Benyon: Electron microscopy is extensively used and provides a valuable tool in the characterisation and evaluation of nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to characterise and measure nanoparticles for many years and they continue to be part of UK and EU research into nanomaterials. Standards are being developed for the use of TEM and SEM to look at carbon nanotubes and there is a working group in the international Standards Organisation's Nanotechnologies Committee which is developing a standard to measure primary particle size using electron microscopy.

Origin Marking: Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to paragraph 10 of her Department's technical advice on the labelling of produce grown in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, what her Department's policy is on whether goods originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank should be stocked by retailers.

James Paice: The Government's policy in relation to Israeli settlements on the West Bank is quite clear: those settlements are illegal, and they constitute a barrier to a lasting peace. However, it does not believe that a Government-imposed ban or boycott of settlement produce would help engage or influence Israel, or lead to progress in the Middle East Peace Process. The reason why DEFRA issued the technical advice referred to by the hon. Member was to make it easier for consumers to make their own choices about whether or not to buy produce originating in the illegal settlements, and of course retailers themselves are free to decide not to sell goods from the Israeli settlements if they so wish.

Palm Oil

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will work with her international counterparts to bring forward EU legislative proposals to regulate the (a) sale, (b) possession and (c) purchase of unsustainable palm oil.

Richard Benyon: We are in contact with other member states regarding their policies to promote sustainable palm oil. In particular, we are keen to learn from Dutch and Belgian colleagues on the commitments their industries have made to use 100% sustainable palm oil. We are working to replicate this in the UK and, as my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced as part of his recent visit to Indonesia, we are working with British trade associations to set out a roadmap for sustainable palm oil usage nationwide.
	We are also actively engaging with the European Commission's study into the impacts of EU consumption of imported food and non-food commodities on deforestation. This includes a review of Community policy areas with the greatest potential for reducing pressure on forests beyond the EU and to ensure that options for addressing impacts from palm oil are considered. There are no plans at present for an EU-wide legislative approach, but we will be pressing the Commission to provide robust proposals once its consultant's report has been finalised.

Palm Oil: Imports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to prevent the importation of unsustainable palm oil.

Richard Benyon: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him of 19 June 2012, Official Report, column 858W.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with retailers on the potential effect of the EU partial stalls ban to be introduced in 2013.

James Paice: Recognising the importance of compliance with the upcoming partial sow stalls ban, I recently met with leading representatives from the pig meat supply chain (including the British Retail Consortium), to discuss the UK's position. The discussion was fruitful with retail, processing and trade representatives stating their intention to source pig meat only from compliant systems of production. There are plans for a follow up meeting with wider groups of stakeholders, including retailers, in the autumn to discuss progress made and next steps.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many EU member states she estimates will not comply with the European partial stalls ban to be introduced in 2013.

James Paice: At the June Agriculture Council meeting, the Commission announced that overall 18 member states had said that they would be fully compliant by the sow stall ban deadline of 1 January 2013, including the UK pig industry's main competitors.
	Those member states estimating full compliance are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Sweden, Luxembourg and the UK have already banned sow stalls.
	Of the nine member states remaining, most are anticipating levels of compliance in excess of 90%.

Pollution: Rockall

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department is responsible for pollution clearance around the Island of Rockall.

Richard Benyon: The Scottish Government is responsible for the management of Scottish inshore and offshore waters, other than for reserved functions. Action to prevent marine pollution remains a responsibility of the UK Government and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, as an Executive agency of the Department for Transport, has overall responsibility for the monitoring and implementation of counter pollution measures within the United Kingdom Pollution Control Zone. Rockall sits within this zone.

Poultry: Pest Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences were granted for the control of brent geese in the latest period for which figures are available; how many birds were culled; and in what locations.

Richard Benyon: A summary of licences issued for the management of brent geese issued by Natural England in 2011 is given in the following table:
	
		
			 County Licences granted Licensed to be shot Reported shot 
			 Kent 11 150 (1)38 
			 Essex 31 454 (1)319 
			 Hampshire 2 30 30 
			 Lincolnshire 13 116 65 
			 Norfolk 5 80 29 
			 Suffolk 4 20 (1)3 
			 West Sussex 6 165 (1)104 
			 Total 72 1,015 (1)588 
			 (1) Not all end-of-licence returns have yet been received.

Poultry: Pest Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what control measures for the eradication of the ruddy duck her Department has put in place; how much she estimates such eradication will cost; and what steps she has taken to ensure that ruddy ducks which migrate to the UK from other countries will be culled.

Richard Benyon: The ruddy duck is a North American species introduced into the UK in the 1940s. It has bred very successfully here and has spread to mainland Europe, where it has bred and hybridised with the globally threatened white-headed duck, endangering its survival as a distinct species.
	The UK Ruddy Duck Eradication Programme is targeted at protecting the white headed duck. The programme began in 2005 and ran until March 2011 at a cost of £3.3 million, approximately half of which was provided by EU LIFE-Nature funding, with the remainder funded by DEFRA.
	The programme was delivered by the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) and DEFRA has continued to fund Fera to undertake ongoing work on eradication. Funding amounted to £200,000 in the 2011-12 financial year and for this financial year £150,000 has been allocated.
	During the course of the programme and the ongoing work, Fera has made regular reports that provide information on the progress of the eradication programme and which are available on its website. Population levels are regularly estimated and there are now approximately 60 individuals remaining in the UK from an estimated 4,400 at the start of the programme.
	Ruddy ducks migrating to the UK will be culled as part of the ongoing work and DEFRA is working with colleagues in other European countries through the Bern convention to collaborate on eradication of the population from the Western Palearctic. An action plan to achieve this can be viewed on the Bern convention website.

Seas and Oceans: Biodiversity

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what agreements were reached on the conservation of marine biodiversity in the high seas at the UN Rio+20 conference on Sustainable Development.

Richard Benyon: Rio+20 reaffirmed the importance of the conservation and sustainable use of marine diversity. On areas beyond national jurisdiction, the declaration recognised the need for a new Implementing Agreement (IA) before the end of 2014. The Government will continue to press for this IA to include marine protected areas in locations beyond national jurisdiction.

Sheep

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance her Department is providing to farmers to help tackle sheep lameness.

James Paice: I certainly recognise that lameness in sheep is a significant welfare issue. Over a number of years ADAS, on behalf of DEFRA, have provided comprehensive welfare advice through a variety of media to producers and private veterinary surgeons on the control and prevention of lameness in sheep, most recently in their 2011 advisory programme for farmers. The Sheep Welfare Code contains specific recommendations on the management of lameness and practical measures to help prevent, or treat the condition can be found on the DEFRA website in the 2003 publication 'Lameness in Sheep'.
	I also fully support the work of the Food Animal Initiative and National Sheep Association in their 'Stamp out Lameness' campaign which aims to raise awareness in the farming industry of one of the most significant welfare issues in sheep. It also aims to promote a proven, yet practical 'Five Step' lameness reduction plan which has been shown to cut lameness by up to half in the first year.

Shellfish: Dredging

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the environmental effect of dredging cockle beds.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has made no assessment of the environmental impact of cockle dredging. Cockle fisheries in England occur in the inshore area (predominantly between zero to six nautical miles), and as such their management is the responsibility of the inshore fisheries and conservation authorities, who have a duty to ensure fisheries are managed in such a way that they do not adversely impact on the marine environment.

Water Supply

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the volume of water leaking from pipes in each region in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: Ofwat, the economic regulator of water and sewerage companies in England and Wales has collected the following information on the volume of water leaked from pipes in each water company area:
	
		
			 1 megalitre (M/l) = 1 million litres 
			  Total leakage (Ml/day) 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Anglian Water Services 202.16 208.55 210.61 211.15 229.50 
			 Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig (Welsh) 209.48 204.01 194.39 192.80 199.28 
			 Northumbrian Water (NNE) 145.94 136.17 149.80 155.74 157.78 
			 Severn Trent Water Ltd 523.83 490.15 491.25 496.65 497.01 
			 South West Water Ltd 82.94 84.23 84.16 82.42 83.73 
			 Southern Water Services Ltd 82.03 81.78 86.90 95.15 92.15 
			 Thames Water Utilities Ltd 790.32 713.22 698.43 669.85 664.56 
			 United Utilities Water plc 468.22 462.19 461.63 462.28 464.24 
			 Wessex Water Services Ltd 72.12 72.13 72.20 73.92 70.65 
			 Yorkshire Water Services Ltd 293.47 293.63 295.02 294.70 325.40 
			 Bristol Water plc 53.56 52.86 53.57 52.78 50.30 
			 Cambridge Water Company plc 13.44 13.89 13.95 14.17 13.68 
			 Dee Valley Water plc 10.62 10:33 10.33 10.44 9.92 
			 Essex and Suffolk Water 67.99 68.25 66.76 67.44 65.10 
			 Portsmouth Water Ltd 29.24 29.62 30.40 28.67 29.55 
			 Sembcorp Bournemouth Water 21.93 22.21 22.10 21.78 22.00 
			 South East Water Ltd 97.81 93.80 95.89 96.08 95.31 
			 South Staffordshire Water plc 73.11 71.54 74.25 74.43 72.83 
			 Sutton and East Surrey Water Ltd 24.01 24.29 24.46 24.20 24.51 
			 Veolia Water Central 144.79 141.78 142.11 143.21 181.48 
			 Veolia Water East 5.05 5.04 5.09 5.02 5.02 
			 Veolia Water Southeast 7.81 7.89 7.72 7.78 7.21

Water Supply: Complaints

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in how many and what proportion of consumer complaints the Independent Consumer Council for water declined to intervene in the latest period for which figures are available; and for what reasons in each such case.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 28 June 2012
	In 2011-12, the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) received a total of 11,338 complaints about water companies, and dealt with 11,323 (99.87%) of them. Fifteen of those cases (0.13%) fell entirely outside of CCWater's statutory powers to help resolve complaints. The reasons for this were:
	five complaints concerned legal issues;
	four were about damage claims; and
	six related to non-water industry bodies.
	In those cases where CCWater was unable to help, staff gave advice to the customer on alternative avenues of assistance.

JUSTICE

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the Salvation Army’s efforts in running the Government’s scheme to protect victims of human trafficking.

Crispin Blunt: We will review the first year’s operation of the contract, which was implemented on 1 July 2011, later this year.

Magistrates: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates there were in Nottinghamshire (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) in each year between 2008 and 2011.

Jonathan Djanogly: Judicial Office figures for the number of magistrates in Nottinghamshire for the requested years are as follows:
	
		
			 Magistrates 
			  Number 
			 29 June 2012 (current) 577 
			 31 March 2011 644 
			 31 March 2010 679 
			 31 March 2009 673 
			 31 March 2008 736 
		
	
	The fall in the number of magistrates recruited in Nottinghamshire reflects the national picture. This is due to the reduced workload in the magistrates courts. The Nottinghamshire Advisory Committee has recommended seven candidates for appointment as magistrates. The appointment submission is currently in progress and waiting for approval by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), in concurrence with the senior presiding judge.

Parole Board

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 681W, on sentencing, what other indicators the Parole Board considers in ascertaining whether a prisoner's risks have been reduced; and what instructions are given to the Parole Board regarding such indicators when they are used in lieu of offending behaviour programmes.

Crispin Blunt: The Parole Board is an independent body which has the power to direct release of indeterminate sentence prisoners if it is satisfied that their detention is no longer necessary for the protection of the public.
	EWCA Civ 1779 has ruled that these Directions can be regarded only as guidance in respect of cases where the Parole Board has the power to direct release. The Directions set out all the factors the Secretary of State consider the Parole Board should take into account when considering whether to direct release. These Directions were intended to apply to all cases, including those where the prisoner may not have completed offending behaviour programmes (OBPs). Copies of the Directions have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	As explained in my answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 681W, the independent Parole Board's assessment of a prisoner's suitability for release is based upon areas of risk, rather than whether or not specific OBPs have been completed. A prisoner may address his or her risk in a variety of ways and is not limited to participation in group-based intervention programmes. The Parole Board will look at a range of indicators that a prisoner's risks have been reduced, including addressing the area of risk by completing an alternative OBP, engaging with one to one work, education and training, non-accredited courses, work, specialist support and resettlement or demonstrating a sustained period of stable behaviour.

Prisoners: E-mail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2012, Official Report, column 179W, on prisoners: email, how many contacts were made in each prison in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: I believe the hon. Member is referring to my response of 16 May 2012, Official Report, column 179W, rather than 6 May. As I stated in that response it is not possible to provide the number of contacts each prisoner has received through the Emailaprisoner.com scheme as such information is not held centrally. To provide such information would require the collection of data from each prison and this could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Probation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals managed under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements regime usually domiciled in or in the prison estate in (a) Peterborough, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) areas outside Peterborough and Cambridgeshire have been resident for any period of time in the bail hostel in Peterborough in each quarter since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: There are a number of reasons why an individual offender may be placed, on release from custody, in an approved premises in a different probation area from the one in which he resided prior to his custodial sentence. Some probation areas have no approved premises. Approved premises that are adjacent to a school or nursery exclude child sex offenders. In other cases, it is necessary to place an offender away from the area in which his victim resides; indeed, an offender will often have an exclusion zone as part of his licence conditions, in order to protect the victim.
	Data identifying the probation areas from which cases are referred to approved premises have been collected centrally only since April 2008. The data collected cover the referral of any offender from another area to the approved premises in question and do not identify whether the offender is managed under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). However, as places in approved premises are primarily for high risk of harm offenders on release from custody, in order to protect the public, it is likely that many of the offenders referred to an approved premises from another area will be managed under MAPPA.
	The available data are set out in the following table. It shows total admissions into Peterborough approved premises for each full quarter since April 2008, counting Cambridgeshire and out-of-area cases separately. These include short-term admissions such as releases on temporary licence.
	
		
			 Admissions to Peterborough approved premises by quarter 
			  April to June July to September October to December January to March 
			  From Cambridgeshire From other areas From Cambridgeshire From other areas From Cambridgeshire From other areas From Cambridgeshire From other areas 
			 2008-09 14 4 13 4 10 4 14 8 
			 2009-10 8 6 19 9 8 11 16 7 
			 2010-11 19 7 22 8 15 8 15 6 
			 2011-12 26 4 17 11 21 12 23 7

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2012, Official Report, columns 620-1W, on social security benefits: appeals, what steps he is taking to ensure that the average waiting time at appeal hearing venues in Coventry is no longer than the national average.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has implemented a number of measures to bring down the average waiting time for an appeal hearing in Coventry. Additional venue capacity was brought into use in December 2011 and HMCTS is working to identify further suitable venues. Work is also under way to reassess the area which is served by the Coventry venue, to examine whether certain appeals which would currently be heard at the Coventry venue can be heard in other nearby HMCTS estate.
	This is in addition to the measures being implemented nationally to increase the capacity of the SSCS Tribunal and reduce waiting times, which include recruiting more judges and medical panel members; increasing administrative resources; increasing the number of cases listed in each tribunal session; running double shifts in its largest processing centre; setting up a customer contact centre to deal with telephone inquiries and the review and continuous improvement of business processes.
	These measures are having a positive effect. The total number of disposals has increased significantly from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 433,600 in 2011-12, with the capacity for half a million disposals in 2012-13. Disposals outstripped receipts for the 14 months between January 2011 and February 2012, and the number of cases waiting to be heard fell by 25% in 2011-12. Waiting times are stabilising nationally and HMCTS is working as a matter of priority to reduce them further, in particular in areas where they remain longer than we would wish.

Solicitors

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a list of the solicitors that have been struck off in the last two years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The regulation and discipline of solicitors is a matter for the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulatory arm of the Law Society and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. Neither organisation publishes a list of the names of solicitors struck off the solicitors' roll therefore I am unable to provide a copy for the Library.
	The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal does publish the number of solicitors that have been struck off in its Annual Reports. Figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 show that a total of 163 solicitors were struck off the roll during that period. It also publishes its decisions on its website. The Solicitors Regulation Authority publishes a list of the 50 most-recently published regulatory decisions on its website. It will provide members of the public with the most complete, up-to-date information about an individual's or firm's regulatory record upon request. It also provides a search engine on its website, that allows members of the public to search an individual's or a firm's regulatory record.

Victim Support Schemes

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when he expects to announce policy measures arising from his Department’s consultation Getting it right for victims and witnesses; how many responses were received to the consultation; and how many of those responses related to the proposals for police and crime commissioners to commission services for victims;
	(2)  if he will publish all responses received to questions 4 to 7, on the commissioning of services for victims, in his Department’s consultation Getting it right for victims and witnesses; and how many respondents to (a) the consultation and (b) question 5 of the consultation (i) agreed and (ii) disagreed with the proposal to make police and crime commissioners responsible for the commissioning of victim support services at a local level.

Crispin Blunt: The Government response to the consultation “Getting it right for victims and witnesses” was published on 2 July. It contains the information sought. We were determined to be open and clear about the views put to us, and about whether the majority of respondents agreed or disagreed with a particular proposal, and that is what we have done.
	We have no plans to publish the individual responses on questions four to seven.

Young Offenders: Bolton

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young adult offenders aged 18 to 20 years from the metropolitan borough of Bolton have been held in (a) young offender institutions, (b) local prisons, (c) women's prisons and (d) other parts of the secure estate in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: All young offenders serving sentences of DYOI are held in appropriately designated young offender institution (YOI) accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
	The following table shows the number of offenders aged 18 to 20-years-old from the metropolitan borough of Bolton on a set day in each month where data are available since May 2009. The data have only been recorded centrally since May 2009 and from September 2010 are available on a bi-monthly basis.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Information on offenders' residences is provided by offenders on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the table.
	If no address is given, an offender's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. These figures are also included in the table. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, these figures are excluded from the table.
	
		
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Prisoners originating from Bolton held in: May Sep Nov Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov Jan Mar May 
			 (a) Young offender institutions 75 54 50 46 46 43 33 35 32 19 27 19 
			 (b) Local prisons 3 9 15 14 8 12 9 13 15 23 20 10 
			 (c) Women's prisons 8 1 4 4 2 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 
			 (d) Other parts of the secure estate 0 3 0 0 6 6 9 8 14 16 15 16

Young Offenders: Offences Against Children

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children aged (a) under 16 and (b) between 16 and 18 have been convicted of a sexual offence against a child in (i) the smallest area for which figures are available and (ii) England.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants aged 10 to 15 and 16 to 18 found guilty at all courts for sexual offences against a child, by police force area in England, for 2011, can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			 Defendants aged 10 to 15 and 16 to 18 found guilty at all courts for ‘Sexual offences against a child ’ (1) , by police force area, England, 2011 (2, 3) 
			 Force 10 to 15 16 to 18 
			 Avon and Somerset 7 4 
			 Bedfordshire — 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 5 
			 Cheshire 5 2 
			 Cleveland 2 1 
			 Cumbria 1 6 
			 Derbyshire 2 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 9 
			 Dorset 1 4 
			 Durham 8 5 
			 Essex 2 2 
			 Gloucestershire 1 1 
			 Greater Manchester 15 17 
			 Hampshire 7 6 
			 Hertfordshire 1 5 
			 Humberside 1 1 
			 Kent — 5 
			 Lancashire 5 16 
			 Leicestershire 1 1 
			 Lincolnshire 1 2 
			 Merseyside 5 8 
			 Metropolitan Police 27 25 
			 Norfolk 3 4 
			 North Yorkshire 2 7 
			 Northamptonshire 1 7 
			 Northumbria 4 9 
			 Nottinghamshire 2 5 
			 South Yorkshire 4 2 
			 Staffordshire 1 4 
			 Suffolk 2 2 
			 Surrey 1 3 
			 Sussex 3 9 
			 Thames Valley 6 7 
			 Warwickshire 2 1 
			 West Mercia 3 8 
			 West Midlands 4 8 
			 West Yorkshire 3 12 
			 Wiltshire 1 1 
			 Total England 136 221 
			 (1) Offences include: Sexual assault on male/female aged under 13, rape or attempted rape against a male/female aged under 16, sexual activity involving a child, familial sexual offences, abuse of children through prostitution and pornography, abuse of a position of trust, sexual grooming, taking, making or possessing indecent photographs of children. (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice.

Young Offenders: Oldham

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from the Metropolitan borough of Oldham have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution in each month since May 2005.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of young people attached to the Oldham Youth Offending Team (YOT) who have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) under-18 young offender institution in each month since May 2005 to April 2012.
	These data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). The YJB holds data at the YOT area level, not at the local authority level. YOT area data may cover more than one local authority area. Oldham YOT is the same geographic area as the Metropolitan borough of Oldham.
	This is based upon monthly population snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is held more than one month in custody will be shown in more than one month in the table.
	The data from April 2011 onwards are provisional and will be finalised when the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of young people (aged 10-17) in custody attached to the Oldham Youth Offending Team (YOT) by establishment type in each month since May 2005 
			  Secure children's homes Secure training centres Young offender institutions 
			 2005    
			 May 2 2 8 
			 June 2 2 7 
			 July 1 3 10 
			 August 0 2 15 
			 September 0 1 14 
			 October 0 1 13 
			 November 1 1 16 
			 December 0 1 18 
			     
			 2006    
			 January 0 0 15 
			 February 0 0 11 
			 March 0 0 9 
			 April 2 0 7 
			 May 1 0 10 
			 June 0 1 16 
			 July 1 1 16 
			 August 2 1 15 
			 September 4 1 16 
			 October 2 1 13 
			 November 4 1 16 
			 December 1 2 12 
			     
			 2007    
			 January 1 1 16 
			 February 2 1 16 
			 March 2 1 15 
			 April 3 0 17 
			 May 1 0 12 
			 June 2 1 10 
			 July 3 1 10 
			 August 3 0 10 
			 September 3 0 16 
			 October 1 2 13 
			 November 3 2 14 
			 December 3 0 11 
			     
			 2008    
			 January 2 0 11 
			 February 2 1 12 
			 March 3 1 17 
			 April 5 0 17 
			 May 3 0 17 
			 June 2 0 18 
			 July 1 0 12 
			 August 3 0 12 
			 September 1 1 13 
			 October 1 1 11 
			 November 1 1 10 
			 December 2 0 11 
			     
			 2009    
		
	
	
		
			 January 2 0 10 
			 February 5 0 9 
			 March 4 1 7 
			 April 5 1 7 
			 May 3 1 5 
			 June 1 2 6 
			 July 3 3 8 
			 August 1 1 8 
			 September 1 0 9 
			 October 1 0 11 
			 November 2 0 11 
			 December 1 0 10 
			     
			 2010    
			 January 1 0 11 
			 February 1 0 14 
			 March 1 0 18 
			 April 2 0 17 
			 May 2 0 11 
			 June 3 0 10 
			 July 1 0 7 
			 August 0 0 7 
			 September 0 0 9 
			 October 0 0 9 
			 November 2 2 10 
			 December 2 2 9 
			     
			 2011    
			 January 1 1 8 
			 February 1 1 7 
			 March 1 0 8 
			 April 2 0 8 
			 May 2 0 8 
			 June 4 0 9 
			 July 3 0 10 
			 August 3 0 9 
			 September 2 0 6 
			 October 0 0 7 
			 November 0 0 7 
			 December 0 0 7 
			     
			 2012    
			 January 0 1 10 
			 February 1 1 14 
			 March 2 0 14 
			 April 1 1 15 
			 Notes: 1. The data comes from the Youth Justice Board's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS). 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. 3. The YJB does not hold data at local authority level. However, it does hold data down to Youth Offending Team area, some of which cover more than one local authority area. Oldham YOT is the same geographic area as the Metropolitan borough of Oldham. 4. The table shows the number of young people aged under 18 attached to the Oldham Youth Offending Team who have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution in each month since May 2005, either on remand or sentenced. 5. This is based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody, may be shown in more than one month in the table. 6. Please note, data from April 2011 onwards is provisional. Data from April 2011 onwards will be finalised when the 2011-12 Annual Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013 and data from April 2012 will be finalised in 2014.

Young Offenders: Oldham

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young adult offenders aged 18 to 20 from the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham have been held in a (a) young offender institutions, (b) local prisons, (c) women's prisons and (d) other parts of the secure estate in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: All young offenders serving sentences of DYOI are held in appropriately designated young offender institution (YOI) accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
	The following table shows the number of young adult offenders aged 18 to 20-years-old from the metropolitan borough of Oldham on a set day in each month where data are available since May 2009. The data have only been recorded centrally since May 2009 and from September 2010 are available on a bi-monthly basis.
	
		
			 Location May 2009 Sept 2010 Nov 2010 Jan 2011 March 2011 May 2011 July 2011 Sept 2011 Nov 2011 Jan 2012 March 2012 May 2012 
			 (a)Male Young Offender Institutions 45 25 21 20 18 23 24 20 19 22 20 17 
			 (b) Male local Prisons 1 4 4 6 5 7 10 12 11 11 4 5 
			 (c) Female Prisons 2 2 3 3 2 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 
			 (d) Other Prisons 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 2 3 3 6 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Information on offenders’ residences is provided by offenders on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the table above.
	If no address is given, an offender’s committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. These figures are also included in the table above. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, these figures are excluded from the table above.

DEFENCE

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials from his Department are stationed in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Gerald Howarth: There are around 40 members of the armed forces based in British Indian Ocean Territory; there are no civilian officials.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Gerald Howarth: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not had any recent discussions on the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory, but he and other Defence Ministers have regular discussions with their US counterparts about a range of subjects which are of interest to both our mutual defence and security interests.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years;
	(2)  which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

Peter Luff: In mainland UK, the Ministry of Defence competes its requirements for gas and electricity supply in mainland UK every three to four years.
	Current mainland UK suppliers are:
	Corona Energy (gas supply—all sites)
	EDF Energy (electricity supply—medium and large sites)
	British Gas Business (electricity supply—small sites).
	Current Northern Ireland suppliers are:
	Firmus Energy and Phoenix Natural Gas (gas supply)
	Viridian Energy (electricity supply).
	Overseas locations are subject to local supply arrangements.

European Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aspects of the P1EA upgrade for the Eurofighter have been integrated into the aircraft; how many aircraft have received such upgrades; if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of each upgrade; and when all such upgrades will achieve release-to-service status.

Peter Luff: Although the technical work on integration is well advanced, no aspects of the Phase one enhancement (P1E)a upgrades have yet been integrated into RAF Typhoons. The date by which the upgrades will be introduced into service with the RAF is under review. The cost of this upgrade is interwoven within the Future Capability Programme 1 which includes costs for the follow-on P1Eb upgrade. The cost of this combined upgrade to the UK as published in Major Projects Report 2011, including risk and cost of capital, is £458 million.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many procurement card holders in his Department were (a) paid off-payroll, (b) employed on a part-time basis and (c) employed as a non-permanent employee in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12;
	(2)  on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

Peter Luff: The information on the detailed breakdown of the nature of employment of Government Procurement Card (GPC) holders is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. GPC cards are only issued to Crown Servants or contractors who are required to make purchases on behalf of the Department where this offers an efficient way of purchasing.
	The dates on which the Ministry of Defence has published GPC spending over £500 since May 2010 are as follows:
	Spend during March 2012 was published on 7 June 2012.
	Spend during February 2012 was published on 30 April 2012.
	Spend during January 2012 was published on 3 April 2012.
	Spend during December 2011 was published on 29 February 2012.
	Spend during November 2011 was published on 31 January 2012.
	Spend during October 2011 was published on 23 December 2011.
	Spend during the period April 2011 to September 2011 was published on 31 October 2011.
	Spend during the period April 2010 to March 2011 was published on 3 May 2012.

Nuclear Submarines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral contribution of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 614, on nuclear powered submarines, when a planning application will be submitted for refurbishment of the Rolls-Royce Raynesway site; when construction is expected to commence; and when the new facilities are expected to open.

Peter Luff: Planning permission for the regeneration of the Raynesway site was granted by Derby city council in February 2010 (planning permission number 11/09/01360).
	The first construction contract is planned to be let by Rolls-Royce towards the end of this year, with work starting in early 2013.
	The first part of the facility is planned to start operating in summer 2016, with the remainder planned to start operating in 2021.

Nuclear Submarines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral contribution of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 614, on nuclear powered submarines, how many submarine reactor cores will be built by Rolls-Royce by 2023; and how many such cases will be of the (a) PWR2 and (b) PWR3 design.

Peter Luff: In the period up to 2023, the recently announced contract with Rolls-Royce is planned to deliver one pressurised water reactor (PWR) 2 reactor core and one PWR3 reactor core. The PWR3 core will not be manufactured until after the Successor Main Gate decision in 2016.

Nuclear Submarines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department owns the nuclear reactor core facility at the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering site in Raynesway, Derby; and what the asset value of that facility is.

Peter Luff: The existing facilities and machinery are owned by Rolls-Royce except for equipment that has been provided as Government Funded Equipment. The Ministry of Defence does not therefore hold the asset value of the facilities.

Nuclear Submarines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he intends to issue individual contracts for the construction of reactor cores for future submarines.

Peter Luff: The procurement strategy for reactor cores for later boats, after Successor Boat One, has not yet been decided and will not be decided until after the Successor Main Gate decision in 2016.

Nuclear Submarines: Fires

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the risk that vacuum cleaners used on nuclear submarines may start a fire.

Peter Luff: All equipment fitted or carried onboard Royal Navy submarines, including vacuum cleaners, is assessed before it enters service to determine the fire risk it presents. When risks are identified, all practicable measures are taken to reduce their severity before a further assessment is made to ensure any remaining risk is tolerable; this assessment is kept under periodic review. Once in-service, equipment undergoes periodic maintenance, in accordance with defined procedures, to ensure that it continues to function safely and correctly.
	During major overhaul periods, fire safety becomes the responsibility of the relevant contractor, who is required to provide appropriate fire safety arrangements. This includes conducting assessments of the risks presented by the activities to be undertaken and the equipment to be used.

Nuclear Submarines: Fires

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has commissioned a review of fire safety on submarines following the recent fire aboard the submarine USS Miami.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence has a strict regime to manage fire safety on submarines. This includes the routine assessment of all fire incidents on board Royal Navy ships and submarines, as well as those fire incidents reported by foreign navies. The recent fire on board the USS Miami will be assessed in accordance with these processes, with lessons being identified and taken forward as appropriate.

Parliamentary Armed Forces Scheme

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2012, on the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, what (a) letters, (b) emails and (c) other correspondence the Minister of State for the Armed Forces received directly on the subject from (i) former members of the armed forces and (ii) other members of the public since May 2010.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 27 June 2012
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2012, Official Report, columns 1043-44W.
	The Ministry of Defence holds no records of letters, e-mails or other correspondence received directly by Ministers from former members of the armed forces or other members of the public, on the subject of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, since May 2010.
	I am, however, in regular contact with Sir Neil Thorne, chairman of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, in relation to the management of the scheme itself.

Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total (a) number and (b) value of contracts issued by (i) his Department and (ii) bodies for which he is responsible which were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: Ministry of Defence spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been reported in the Cabinet Office report ‘Making Government business more accessible to SMEs—One Year on’, which is available at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-government-business-more-accessible-smes-one-year
	The approximate number and value of new contracts placed with SMEs, for the latest period available are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number Value (£ million) Latest period for which figures are available 
			 MOD 1,790 1,124 April 2011 to March 2012 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 4,173 62.77 April 2011 to March 2012 
			 Defence Support Group 537 16.42 June 2011 to May 2012 
			 UK Hydrographic Office 1,331 8.35 April 2011 to March 2012

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Argentina

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the US government on its decision on 24 April 2012 to oppose a loan to Argentina from the Inter-American Development Bank;
	(2)  whether the UK representative at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) opposed the proposed loan to Argentina from the IADB on 24 April 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: There were no loans for Argentina tabled for approval or discussed by the IADB board on 24 April 2012. A loan however was discussed on 21 June. The UK representative at the Inter-American Development did not support this loan. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), has not had discussions with the US Government on loans to Argentina.

Bangladesh

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what his policy is on support for open-pit coal mining in Bangladesh;
	(2)  what representations his Department has received on open-pit coal mining in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The decision to allow open-pit mining in Bangladesh is for the Government of Bangladesh to make.
	DFID received representations from NGOs in London last year, at official level focussing particularly on the Phulbari mine. As far as we are aware, this is the only representation that we received.

Bilateral Aid

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's bilateral aid will be delivered through the private sector in each year between 2010 and 2015.

Andrew Mitchell: DFID does not have the information available to be able to calculate the proportion of bilateral aid that will be delivered through the private sector between 2010 and 2015. Spending decisions are decentralised within the organisation and the amount of aid spent through the private sector is the result of a large number of specific project decisions that are based on achieving the highest value for money.

Developing Countries: Biofuels

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the EU Development Council meeting of 14 May 2012, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on biofuels and their effect on (a) developing countries and (b) world food prices.

Andrew Mitchell: Biofuels were not on the agenda at the EU Development Council meeting on 14 May. Some EU Development Ministers mentioned biofuels as an example of ensuring policy coherence in their intervention when discussing other issues under the wider EU development agenda.
	I have not had formal discussions on biofuels with my European counterparts. My Department is working closely with other UK Government Departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Transport to address key concerns related to the impact of biofuels on food prices and on developing countries. These concerns have been also addressed in the DECC 'UK Bioenergy Strategy' published in April.

Developing Countries: Family Planning

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria he will use to judge the success of the Family Planning Summit in July.

Andrew Mitchell: Success will ultimately be judged in 2020 when we can assess whether millions more women in the world's poorest countries have access to family planning.
	On the day of the summit, we will judge success by whether we put family planning back on the international development agenda as a life-saving intervention.

Developing Countries: Females

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the forthcoming Family Planning Summit will address the circumstances of women living in conflict situations in developing countries; and what his priorities are for the Summit.

Andrew Mitchell: The Family Planning summit will focus on women and girls in the world's poorest 69 countries including many that are fragile and conflict states.
	The summit is aiming to halve the current number of women and girls in the world's poorest countries who wish to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraception. It will support the right of girls and women to decide whether, when and how many children to have. It will mobilize global policy, financing, commodity and service delivery commitments to support the rights of an additional 120 million women and girls in the world's poorest countries to use contraceptive information, services and supplies, without coercion or discrimination, by 2020.

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to ensure that the outcomes of the 2012 G8 Summit lead to the implementation of an effective strategy to tackle malnutrition and stunting.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK is firmly committed to taking forward the important agreements which were made at the 2012 G8 Camp David summit to tackle malnutrition and stunting. These agreements include:
	actively supporting the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement;
	improving tracking and disbursements for nutrition across sectors; and
	supporting the accelerated release, adoption and consumption of bio-fortified crop varieties.
	The UK plans to take forward a number of these G8 commitments on malnutrition and stunting through a major event on hunger which is scheduled to take place during the Olympics. The UK will also continue to play a leading role in the Scaling Up Nutrition movement, recognising that SUN is the most promising mechanism for delivering international resources to the critical '1000 day window' of opportunity. Since 2010 the UK has more than doubled resources for tackling under-nutrition and made a commitment to reach 20 million pregnant women and children under five with nutrition interventions by 2015.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the UK last made a contribution to the Global Fund; and what the value of such a contribution was.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government brought forward a payment of £127.8 million into November 2011, so that all approved grants under the fund's 10th round of applications (round 10) could be signed.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution the Government plans to make to the Global Fund.

Stephen O'Brien: Since 2008 the UK Government has contributed some £638 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), confirmed to the International Development Committee on 17 April this year that the UK would be providing a further £128 million in each of 2012, 2013 and 2014.
	The Secretary of State also indicated that he is prepared to make a significant increase in the UK contribution in 2013 and 2014, in addition to this £128 million per year, subject to successful progress with reforms that are under way within the fund and in the way it does business with implementing countries.

Overseas Aid

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria his Department uses to determine the appropriateness of private, public and other delivery mechanisms for official development assistance to different programmes.

Andrew Mitchell: Since January 2011, all DFID Department decisions to spend aid money are based on a detailed business case. DFID's Business Case is based on HM Treasury's 'five case' model. Each business case sets out and appraises the different options and mechanisms to deliver the development outcome being sought. The five interdependent cases assess the strategic, value for money, financial, commercial and management elements of each aid programme. All DFID business cases are published on our external website.

Overseas Aid

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget will be allocated to wealth creation in each year between 2012 and 2015.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development's (DFID) Annual Report and Accounts contain planned allocations by sector for future years. Currently DFID's planned Wealth Creation allocations as a proportion of total budget (excluding conflict pool) are at least:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2012-13 8 
			 2013-14 10 
			 2014-15 11 
		
	
	A copy of DFID's latest Annual Report and Accounts is available from the DFID website at this link:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Annual-report/
	Pages 189 and 191 detail the planned future year allocations by sector.
	Please note that the above proportions are subject to change via DFID's results and resources planning cycle.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consultation documents have been released by his Department since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: DFID has issued 12 consultations documents since May 2010:
	Innovation and economic growth in poor countries—2 June to 5 July 2010;
	Public consultation on the design of the new Poverty Impact Fund—29 July to 22 September 2010;
	Choice for women: Every pregnancy wanted, every birth safe—27 July to 20 October 2010;
	Malaria: Breaking the cycle—2 August to 26 October 2010;
	Microfinance (re-named SIMBA: Skills and innovation for micro banking in Africa)—2 August to 9 October 2010;
	Humanitarian Emergency Response Review—10 November to 5 January 2011;
	Trade white paper—5 November to 14 January 2011;
	Reforming CDC Group plc—5 November to 31 January 2011;
	Match Funding Scheme—12 January to 25 February 2011;
	UK implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption—4 October to 18 October 2011;
	The Girls Education Challenge—14 October to 25 November 2011; and
	Global resilience action programme—27 March to 20 May 2012.

Telephone Services

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many private sector call centre staff were used by his Department in each of the last three financial years; and at what cost to the public purse.

Alan Duncan: None.

UN Women

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to continue funding for UN Women after 2015.

Andrew Mitchell: In 2011 when UN Women was established, the Department for International Development, pledged funding via core support of £10 million for years 2011-12 and 2012-13, with a further indicative £10 million per year for the following two years based on reform against the four priorities set out in the Multi-lateral Aid Review (MAR).
	We will continue to fund UN Women up till 2015, based on their ability to perform, but beyond that no decision has been taken as is the case for all UN Agencies that we support. This continued support reiterates the view that DFID has of the important role UN Women play globally on gender mainstreaming.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bahrain

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to raise allegations of torture and repression of opposition supporters with the authorities in Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: The UK regularly raises human rights concerns with the Government of Bahrain, including the importance of investigating any allegations of torture and ensuring those responsible are brought to justice. The UK formally raised this issue, and encouraged Bahrain to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, during Bahrain's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in May 2012.
	I visited Bahrain on 11 June 2012 and raised our concerns about the human rights situation with a wide range of representatives from the Bahraini Government, as well as opposition parties and representatives from civil society.

Bahrain

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the UK has not signed the joint statement on the human rights situation in Bahrain submitted at the 20th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on 27 June 2012 in Geneva.

Alistair Burt: The UK did not sign up to the joint statement as we did not consider it appropriate at this stage to raise Bahrain under agenda item 4. A number of other countries, including the US and other EU member states, agreed with our assessment and also did not sign the statement.
	We agree with much of the substance of the Swiss-led statement and our overall objective remains to support improvements in Bahrain's human rights records. However, we do not believe that the situation in Bahrain is comparable with the situation in the other countries raised under this item such as Syria.
	Progress has been made in a number of areas relating to human rights. The Bahrain Government has established a Special Investigations Unit to investigate allegations of torture and mistreatment, amended the penal code to ensure greater accountability for officials connected with torture charges, and introduced a police code of conduct imposing strict rules on the use of force.
	But clearly much more needs to be done and the UK, as a long standing ally, is supporting Bahrain on their path of reform.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on the maintenance of the marine protected area around the British Indian Ocean Territory in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Henry Bellingham: The direct costs of maintaining the world's largest ‘No Take’ marine protected area (MPA) in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) were just over £2.1 million in the last year. This figure includes funding for the patrol vessel the Pacific Marlin, the fuel for the vessel, and the Fisheries Protection Officer. The BIOT Administration received £700,000, in the same period, from the Bertarelli Foundation, to contribute to the costs of safeguarding the MPA. Additional work on maintaining the MPA is also carried out by the BIOT Administration, regular operations by members of the armed forces in Diego Garcia and by visiting scientists. Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff and UK armed forces personnel do not keep detailed timesheets of work on different tasks and it is not possible to estimate these costs.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on legal advice in respect of the Chagos Islands in the last year.

Henry Bellingham: This year, up to 29 June 2012, £77,438.37 (inclusive of VAT) was spent in respect of the Chagos Islands. This covers fees to Treasury Solicitors and Counsel. It does not cover associated costs such as external copying costs, couriers etc.

Central African Republic

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with the Central African Republic; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The UK has a limited but cordial bilateral relationship with the Central African Republic through our high commission in Cameroon. The British deputy high commissioner to Cameroon met the Central African Republic Foreign Minister Gambi in May in relation to an ongoing consular case. Our non-resident British ambassador hopes to present his credentials shortly.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: We enjoy good diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Our embassy in Kinshasa has enjoyed a number of positive meetings with the new Government Ministers and engages regularly with the Government of DRC on a range of issues. Britain is a major bilateral donor to DRC and the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), visited DRC in March.

Egypt

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Egyptian Government on the Egypt-Israel peace treaty.

Alistair Burt: Throughout the period of transition, we have pressed the Egyptian authorities to respect the existing obligations already agreed by Egypt.
	We want Egypt to continue to act as a force for regional peace and stability, including by maintaining a productive relationship with Israel. We were encouraged by the President-elect, Dr Mohammed Morsi’s, speech on 24 June in which he stated that Egypt would respect all international conventions and obligations already agreed by Egypt. We will follow closely the development of the new Egyptian Government’s foreign policy, including relations between Egypt and Israel.

Israel

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on International Atomic Energy Authority inspections.

Alistair Burt: Israel is not a member of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty which would require among other things inspections of their nuclear facilities. Israel continues to voluntarily allow inspections of the US-supplied research reactor at Nahel Soreq. British Government officials have regular dialogue with the Government of Israel on nuclear issues, including on the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Our long-standing position is to encourage all countries to adhere to the NPT.

Kenya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the ongoing process at the International Criminal Court on Kenyan politics.

Henry Bellingham: The British Government strongly supports the International Criminal Court (ICC) process, which provides justice for the victims of post-elections violence in 2007-08 and serves as a powerful deterrent to the use of violence for political ends. Polls consistently show that Kenyans want to see justice against the perpetrators of that violence. The ICC cases should be treated as an independent legal process, not a political one. We welcome the co-operation of the suspects and the recent statement by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General confirming the Government of Kenya's continued co-operation with the Court. Seeing the process through will bring great credit to Kenya.

Kenya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to promote free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections in Kenya in 2013.

Henry Bellingham: The British Government is supporting the Government of Kenya's efforts to ensure the next elections are free, fair and safe, with no return to the post-elections turmoil and violence of 2007-08. Since 2008 we have supported wide-ranging reform in Kenya, including the creation of new institutions such as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. Our support for civil society and others is helping to address some of the causes of previous electoral violence, such as hate speech. We also support police and judicial reform. Together with the international community we will continue to deliver strong messages on the need for peaceful and credible elections and welcome similar statements made by President Kibaki and other senior politicians.

Kenya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the security situation in Kenya.

Henry Bellingham: While Kenya is generally safe and stable, there are high levels of crime in parts of the country. There is also a high threat of terrorism. The Kenyan authorities have increased security to counter reprisal attacks following Kenyan military intervention in Somalia last October. Recent terrorist attacks have occurred in Kenya’s North East Province, Mombasa and Nairobi. The Kenyan people have borne the brunt of these attacks to date but places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers could also be a target. The British Government is providing assistance to the Kenyan authorities to help counter security threats.

Latin America

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to support parliamentary democracy in Latin America.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently supporting projects in a number of countries in the region, including Colombia, Peru and Guatemala. The British Government also encourages parliamentary exchanges between the UK and Latin American parliamentarians. The UK has a long history of supporting democracy and good governance in Latin America, both bilaterally and through the work of the European Union and Organisation of American States (OAS) in the region.

Libya

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to secure the release of the four International Criminal Court staff detained in Libya since 7 June 2012.

Alistair Burt: Following the detention of the International Criminal Court (ICC) representatives during a visit to Saif al-Islam al Gaddafi on 7 July, our ambassador in Tripoli has been working closely with the Libyan authorities, ICC representatives and other partners to secure a rapid resolution to this case. He has discussed this issue on a number of occasions with several Libyan counterparts, including Prime Minister al-Kib and Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz. Given UK consular responsibility for Commonwealth Citizens, our ambassador in Tripoli and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), have been in especially close touch with Australian counterparts to support their requests for consular access. We will continue to encourage all parties to conclude the negotiations to secure the release of the delegation so that the ICC and Libyan authorities can resume co-operation on the case involving Saif al-Islam al Gaddafi.

Malta

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many industrial tribunal claims or civil court claims were lodged in which the British High Commission in Malta stood as defendant in the last eight years; and how many such cases were lost.

David Lidington: In the last eight years, six cases have been lodged with the industrial tribunal in which the British high commission in Malta has stood as defendant. Four of these cases have not yet reached their conclusion. To date, the high commission's decision-making has always been confirmed by the tribunal as being justified and correct; and the high commission has never been found guilty of breaking the law concerning employees. However, the high commission has been directed to pay compensation in some cases. The high commission has lodged appeals in two cases which will be heard in 2013.

Malta

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 762W, on Malta, what the reasons were for the implementation of the verification exercise.

David Lidington: The collective agreement between the British high commission and the General Workers' Union (GWU) states that the high commission has the right to withdraw recognition of the union for collective bargaining purposes should the membership of the union amongst British high commission staff fall below 50% + 1. Recognition of the GWU was withdrawn because they no longer had the support of a majority of staff, and their demands were unreasonable and unrealistic. The GWU requested the verification exercise to confirm whether or not they had a majority; the Director of Industrial and Employment Relations determined that the union did not have a majority.

Malta

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 762W, on Malta, whether the local trade union in Malta has requested to reduce its recognition for collective bargaining purposes.

David Lidington: The General Workers' Union stated to the Directorate of Industrial and Employment Relations that if the union no longer represented an absolute majority of staff then it expected the British high commission to reduce recognition to supervisory, clerical and industrial grades. Maltese law makes no provision for this. The British high commission believes that the union should represent all grades of locally engaged employees, not selected grades.

Malta

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many redundancies were made by the British high commission in Malta in the last five years; under what legislation such redundancies were made; what legal advice was requested by the commission in respect of redundancies; and whether the high commission has lost any tribunal or court case in relation to those redundancies.

David Lidington: In the last five years there have been six redundancies within the British high commission in Malta. The high commission implemented these in full consultation with the British high commissioner's honorary legal adviser, who advised in accordance with Maltese labour law. The British high commission has only once been directed by the Court of Appeal to compensate an employee as a result of redundancy. Two other cases are still sub judice.

Middle East: Christianity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the comments made by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia on 12 March 2012 that churches within the Arabian peninsula should be destroyed.

Alistair Burt: My assessment of the Grand Mufti's comments remains as set out in the response I gave to my hon. Friend on this issue on 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 1358W.

Paraguay

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has received on the change of government in Paraguay and the impeachment proceedings against President Lugo.

Jeremy Browne: The British Government is following political developments in Paraguay closely.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have met with the Paraguayan ambassador in London to discuss the situation. We welcome the decision on 26 June by the Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (Jose Miguel Insulza) to travel to Paraguay to gather information on recent events and to report back to the organisation’s Permanent Council next week.
	The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Baroness Ashton) issued a statement expressing concern and calling on all parties to respect the democratic will of the Paraguayan people.

Paraguay

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Paraguay; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The British Government is following political developments in Paraguay closely.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office Officials have met with the Paraguayan ambassador in London to discuss the situation. We welcome the decision on 26 June by the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (Jose Miguel Insulza) to travel to Paraguay to gather information on recent events and to report back to the organisation's Permanent Council next week.
	The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Baroness Ashton) issued a statement expressing concern and calling on all parties to respect the democratic will of the Paraguayan people.

Procurement

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts issued by his Department were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in 2011-12; what proportion that figure represents of all contracts let; and what the monetary value was of such contracts.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been reported in the Cabinet Office report ‘Making Government business more accessible to SMEs—One Year On’:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-government-business-more-accessible-smes-one-year
	The FCO procurement group works to remove barriers for SMEs wishing to compete for FCO contracts. For the financial year 2011-12, approximately 20% of FCO procurement in the UK by value was awarded to businesses that it can classify SMEs.
	Procurement of contracts under a value of £80,000 is devolved to 270 posts around the world; there is no central record of all contracts awarded globally and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Rockall

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to exert British sovereignty over Rockall.

Henry Bellingham: The Island of Rockall Act 1972 formally incorporated Rockall into the UK and there is no dispute over the UK's sovereignty over Rockall.

Somalia

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the action taken by the Kenyan army to stabilise the government in Somalia.

Henry Bellingham: Kenya bears much of the burden of the threat emanating from Somalia. We welcome the signature on 2 June of a Memorandum of Understanding that formally integrates Kenyan troops into the African Union Mission in Somalia. We urge military operations to comply with international law and not impede humanitarian assistance and encourage all regional actors to pursue a coherent military and political approach that will support the long-term change that Somalis want. But military action needs to be part of a broader approach which seeks to achieve stability and a political settlement. We are encouraged by the progress being made towards a new political future for Somalia by Somalis, with support from regional and international partners.

Syria

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of targeting of women and vulnerable groups in the conflict in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: There have been disturbing reports, including from the UN Human Rights Council-mandated Commission of Inquiry (COI), that many men, women and children have been subjected to rape, sexual assault and other degrading treatment at the hands of the Syrian security forces and Shabbiha. It is difficult to corroborate these reports, in part due to the social stigma that victims would endure if they came forward. However, the COI assess that fear of rape and sexual assault has restricted the freedom of movement of women and young girls, and many of the women interviewed by the COI had fled to neighbouring countries because of this fear. The COI in their report of 26 June 2012, also found that the victims of the atrocity in al Houla were predominantly women and children.
	We call on the Syrian regime to immediately cease the widespread human rights violations committed by Government and paramilitary forces. These include arbitrary arrest and detention, violations of children's rights and use of sexual violence. We are also concerned by increased accounts of human rights abuses being committed by the armed opposition. These are unacceptable and we call on them to stop.

Syria

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of torture and abuse of children in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The independent Commission of Inquiry (COI), mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged violations of human rights in Syria, reported on 22 February 2012 that more than 500 children had been killed by the Syrian regime since the unrest began in March 2011, many being targeted by snipers. In their subsequent report of 26 June 2012 the Commission found that the victims of the atrocity in al Houla were predominantly women and children. The Commission has also reported that children continued to be arbitrarily arrested and tortured while in detention, including boys as young as 10 years of age.
	We call on the Syrian regime to immediately cease the widespread human rights violations committed by Government forces and paramilitary forces. These include arbitrary arrest and detention, violations of children's rights and use of sexual violence.
	Also criticised in the report are anti-Government armed groups that are using children as ancillary staff in field units and hospitals. We are concerned by these increasing accounts of human rights abuses being committed by the armed opposition. These are unacceptable and we call on them to stop.

Telephone Services

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many private sector call centre staff were used by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three financial years; and at what cost to the public purse.

David Lidington: The following private sector call centres based in the UK provide services on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO):
	Call centre: Teleperformance
	Service: (a) travel advice and (b) consular crisis calls (where volume and/or waiting times exceed the capacity of our Crisis Management Department’s internal call centre facility).
	The number of call handlers deployed by Teleperformance at any given time to deliver FCO travel advice varies according to call volumes. We do not therefore have figures for the number of individuals who have been involved in delivering this service over the last three years. The cost to the FCO of providing this service to the public over the last three financial years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 237,006 
			 2010-11 198,173 
			 2011-12 145,635 
		
	
	The number of call handlers deployed by Teleperformance at any given time to respond to calls to the crisis hotline varies according to call volumes. We do not therefore have figures for the number of individuals who have been involved in delivering this service. The cost to the FCO of providing this service to the public over the last three financial years has been as follows:
	2009-10—n/a
	2010-11 (including Volcanic ash cloud, Libya, Bahrain, Japan and Thailand)—£97,472.97
	2011-12 (including Libya, Syria, Thailand and Morocco)—£129,716.3
	Total—£204,860.26
	Call centre: Careline
	Service: advice on our legalisation services (and births, deaths and marriages, registration from 1 June 2011).
	The number of call handlers deployed by Careline at any given time to provide information on the legalisation process and how to apply varies according to call volumes. We do not therefore have figures for the number of individuals who have been involved in delivering this service. The cost to the FCO of providing this service to the public since it was set up in February 2010 has been as follows:
	2010-11—Legalisation office calls formed part of the ‘courtesy’ element of the Careline contract for passport inquiries (from 3 February 2010) so no cost to the taxpayer;
	2011-12—Following the novation of passport service to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), costs for a continuing Careline service for legalisation and births, deaths and marriages inquiries (from 1 June 2011)—£81,864
	Call centre: Careline
	Service: advice on passport services.
	Careline is a private sector provider. The contract is managed by the IPS. It is a user pays contract and as such there is no cost to the taxpayer.
	Our consular call centres overseas are staffed by locally engaged FCO staff, all of whom are properly trained and consistently deliver an excellent service to British nationals seeking assistance.
	Information on call centres operated by our global network of over 260 overseas posts and the agencies and non-departmental bodies for which we are responsible is not held centrally. This information could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made by the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Henry Bellingham: The Special Investigation and Prosecution Team continues to make good progress. 13 people have been charged with corruption, conspiracy to defraud and money laundering (including four former Ministers). In each case the Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court has ruled that there is sufficient evidence for the matter to go to trial. A Plea and Directions hearing will take place in the Supreme Court on 10 July.
	The Chief Magistrate of the Turks and Caicos Islands has issued an arrest warrant for the former Premier, Michael Misick, and a ‘Red Notice’ has been issued by Interpol.

United Nations

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial contribution the UK made to the UN in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

Henry Bellingham: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) on 17 January 2012, Official Report, column 722W.

Work Experience

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) people undertaking unpaid work experience, (b) unpaid interns and (c) other people in unpaid positions were working in his Department in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Henry Bellingham: All internship and work experience schemes run by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 2011 were advertised publicly and remunerated. I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 904W, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah), which gave further details of numbers of participants in the schemes.
	For 2012, the FCO has expanded the range of work experience schemes available. We continue to offer a number of paid work experience or internship opportunities designed to help us recruit high calibre graduates from backgrounds where the FCO is under-represented or where the FCO has a skills shortage. We will also participate in three Government-wide schemes with different funding/compensation arrangements: the Whitehall Social Mobility Internship Programme for 16 to 18-year-olds, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Social Mobility Programme for 13 to 14-year-olds and the DWP/Job Centre Plus scheme for individuals in receipt of social benefits.

EDUCATION

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when each contract between his Department and Atos was most recently (a) agreed, (b) renewed and (c) extended.

Tim Loughton: The Department has one contract with ATOS (Origin IT Services) which was awarded following a competitive tendering exercise. The contract started on 1 October 2010 with an expiry date of 30 September 2013.
	This is a new contract and has not been renewed or extended.

CAFCASS

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service employees are on long-term sick leave due to stress;
	(2)  what steps (a) he and (b) Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) corporate management are taking to address the workloads of CAFCASS practitioners in offices where over (i) 25%, (ii) 50% and (iii) 90% of practitioners are working a high red or high amber workload weight.

Tim Loughton: Cafcass is an independent body with its own procedures. Operational issues, including staff workloads and sickness are the responsibility of the chief executive. Anthony Douglas, the chief executive of Cafcass has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his response has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 12 June 2012
	I am writing to you in order to provide answers to the two Parliamentary Questions that you tabled recently:
	PQ111159 - To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service employees are on long term sick leave due to stress.
	Cafcass currently has one member of staff on long term sick leave due to stress.
	Please note: 4 weeks (28 days) or more constitutes long term sickness. Fewer than 4 weeks (1-27 days) constitutes short-term.
	PQ 111162 -To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps (a) he and (b) Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) corporate management are taking to address the workloads of CAFCASS practitioners in offices where over 25 per cent, 50 per cent and 90 per cent of practitioners are working a high red or high amber workload weight.
	Cafcass workloads have increased due to the rise in demand faced by all agencies in the child protection and family justice systems. Cafcass is committed to ensuring every child referred to us receives a service, and our staff are also committed to that objective. In recognition of these increased pressures, we introduced a workload weighting tool in March 2011 on a trial basis. Working with our trade unions, we have been refining the methodology since.
	As at 1 June 2012, which is the final month during which data is being produced using the weightings based on the March 2011 trial workload weighting tool, there were 52 teams where 25% or more of the Family Court Advisers (FCAs) were in the high amber or high red bands. There were 28 teams (drawn from among the 52 teams) where there were 50% or more of the FCAs in the high amber or high red bands. There were no teams where 90% or more of the FCAs were in the high amber and high red bands.
	Each monthly report is given active consideration by the operational managers to whom it is distributed, with a view to gaining a fuller understanding of the workload pressures that are being experienced by teams and, in the case of first line managers (Service Managers), individual members of staff.

Computers

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 312W, on computers, how many computers are available solely for his use; and whether any of the devices have been used to receive emails from private accounts in the last 12 months.

Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), receives e-mails from a wide range of senders in the normal course of business, both from inside the Department and outside. The Secretary of State has been provided with one departmental desktop computer and one departmental laptop, both of which are obviously capable of receiving e-mails from non-departmental e-mail accounts.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was formed in May 2010 and uses the Government Procurement Service's (formerly Buying Solutions) framework agreement for its energy supplies. It has not switched its gas or electricity supplier during this period.
	The Government Procurement Service's framework agreement delivers pan-Government energy supplies through the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) competitive tender process. The utility contracts are typically four years in duration with the option to extend by one year.
	The Department is in the first year of a four-year agreement, with the option to extend for a further year.
	The Department uses E.ON for its electricity supplies for its property in Histon. The energy provision for this site is currently being transferred to the Government Procurement Service's framework agreement.
	Since its formation the Department has achieved significant reductions in its energy consumption. Between May 2010-11 and 2011-12 these reductions were 7% in electricity and 32% in gas consumption.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education procures its energy supplies through the Government Procurement Service's (formerly Buying Solutions) framework agreement. The framework suppliers are:
	EDF Energy—half hourly metered electricity;
	British Gas Business—non-half hourly metered electricity; and
	Corona Energy—gas.
	The Department utilises all three of suppliers across its estate.
	The Department also uses E.ON for its electricity supplies for its property in Histon. The energy provision for this site is currently being transferred to the Government Procurement Service's framework agreement.
	Since its formation the Department has achieved significant reductions in its energy consumption. Between May 2010-11 and 2011-12 these reductions were 7% in electricity and 32% in gas consumption.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was formed in May 2010. The amount spent on utilities is detailed in the following table. Spend is detailed as follows against gas and electricity for the financial years 2010-11 to 2011-12.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Electricity Gas 
			 May 2010 to March 2011 996,438 93,927 
			 2011-12 1,204,414 115,861 
		
	
	Since its formation the Department has achieved significant reductions in its energy consumption. Between May 2010-11 and 2011-12 these reductions were 7% in electricity and 32% in gas consumption.

Official Visits: Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, columns 381-82W, on official visits: Israel, what discussions he or his Department had with (a) the Israeli embassy in the UK, (b) the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (c) Mr Lieberman's office and (d) the Britain-Israel Communications and Research Centre on the possibility of his meeting Mr Lieberman during his recent visit to the UK.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education had discussions with officials at the Israeli embassy in the UK about the possibility of arranging a meeting with Mr Lieberman during his recent visit to the UK. No discussions took place with any other organisation.

Pre-school Education: West Midlands

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children aged (a) three and (b) four years old are receiving 15 hours a week of free nursery education in (i) Birmingham Selly Oak constituency and (ii) the West Midlands.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 27 June 2012
	The number of three and four-year-olds receiving 15 hours a week of free early education in Birmingham Selly Oak and the West Midlands in 2011 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Three and four-year-olds (1, 2 ) receiving 15 hours a week (3, 4 ) of free early education in private, voluntary and independent providers and in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools Birmingham Selly Oak parliamentary constituency and West Midlands region, position at January 2011 
			 Number 
			  Three-year-olds Four-year-olds 
			 Birmingham Selly Oak 703 924 
			 West Midlands 55,917 64,752 
			 (1) Count of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year. (2) Any child attending more than one provider may have been counted twice. (3) This covers children who are receiving 15 hours a week at a single provider. Children receiving less than 15 hours are not included. Those who spread their 15 hours entitlement over more than one provider will not be included in this table. (4) Four-year-olds can receive up to 25 hours a week of free early education therefore figures for four-year-olds covers children receiving at least 15 hours a week. Source: Early Years Census (EYC), School Census (SC); and School Level Annual School Census (SLASC). 
		
	
	Data for 2012 will be available from 28 June following the publication of the "Provision for Children under Five Years of Age in England: January 2012" Statistical First Release at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001074/index.shtml

Pre-school Education: West Midlands

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many nursery places per head of population there were in the West Midlands in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 28 June 2012
	This information is held by Ofsted. The chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member and copies of his reply have been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 26 June 2012
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	The information you require is presented in Tables A and B below.
	At the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage on 1 September 2008, Ofsted changed the way it registered providers and recorded the availability of child care places. Data has been presented separately for periods before and after this change, as these data are not directly comparable.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Sarah Teather MP, Minister of State for Children and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			 Table A: Nursery places per head of population in the West Midlands between 2003 and 2008 
			 Date Nursery places West Midlands (1,2,3) Population in the West Midlands aged five and under (4) Child care places per child age five and under (5) Children aged 5 and under per child care place (5) 
			 31 March     
			 2003 111,500 — 0.2965 3.37 
			 2004 121,400 — 0.3228 3.10 
			 2005 125,300 376,097 0.3332 3.00 
			 2006 133,000 379,760 0.3502 2.86 
			 2007 135,600 388,132 0.3494 2.86 
			 2008 137,500 399,151 0.3445 2.90 
			 (1) Source: Ofsted registration data. (2 )Number of places relates to providers of full, sessional, out of school and crèche day care. (3) Individual providers may provide, multiple types of day care. For these, data relate to the sum of the places available for each type of day care, which may be greater than the number of places available at any one point in time. (4) Source: ONS population estimates for each year 2003-10: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm:77-22371 (5) Estimates of population of children aged 5 and under are not available for 2003 and 2004 so data for 2005 have been used in calculations. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B: Nursery places per head of population in the West Midlands between 2009 and 2012 
			 Date Nursery places West Midlands (1,2,3) Population in the West Midlands aged 5 and under (5,6) Child care places per child age 5 and under (5) Children aged 5 and under per child care place (5) 
			 30 June 2009(4) 109,773 408,059 0.2690 3.72 
			 31 March 2010 108,431 414,011 0.2619 3.82 
		
	
	
		
			 31 March 2011 107,229 — 0.2590 3,86 
			 31 March 2012 106,971 — 0.2584 3.87 
			 (1 ) Source: Ofsted registration data. (2 )Number of places relates to providers of child care on non-domestic premises. (3 )For providers only on the Early Years Register, data relate to places available for children aged from birth until the 31 August following their fifth birthday. Where providers are also on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, data relate to places available to children up to eight years old. (4) Data covering child care places as at 31 March 2009 are not available. Data as at 30 June 2009 have been used instead. (5 )20l0 is the most recent year for which population estimates are available. These have been used in calculations for subsequent years. (6 ) Source: ONS population estimates for each year 2003-l0. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm:77-22371

Schools: Food

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to bring forward amending regulations to require academies and free schools to adhere to the Education (Nutritional Standards and Requirements for School Food) (England) Regulations 2007.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 24 May 2012
	The Department has no plans to bring forward amending regulations to require academies and free schools to adhere to the Education (Nutritional Standards and Requirements for School Food) (England) Regulations 2007.

Schools: Vending Machines

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools had vending machines containing junk food in each of the last five years.

Sarah Teather: The Department does not hold this information.
	With the introduction of the food-based standards in 2007, schools required to comply with the standards that used vending machines had to assess whether the food and drink in their machines complied with the standards. Over recent years, a number of food and drink manufacturers have developed products which comply with the standards and which can be provided in vending machines.
	For some schools, the use of vending machines can help them cope with busy lunchtimes, by providing an alternative food outlet for pupils to use instead of queuing in the school dining hall. Schools are often used by the community after school hours, which the vending machines support. Some schools ensure that vending machines containing confectionery and crisps are not in operation during school hours.

Special Educational Needs

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what modelling the Education Funding Agency has undertaken on the effect on (a) students aged 16 and over and (b) providers of education of changes in the funding system proposed in the document Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability; and if he will publish such modelling.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 26 June 2012
	In planning for the proposed funding reforms for high needs pupils and students, and in preparation for their implementation from the start of 2013-14, the Education Funding Agency and other areas of the Department for Education have worked together closely to consider the impact of these changes. In relation to provision for students aged 16 and over, extensive modelling has been carried out by the EFA at local authority, provider and learner levels. The modelling that officials have carried out has been used to provide advice to Ministers and inform the Government's decisions about funding reform. The Government does not intend to publish this modelling. The Government, has, however provided a number of illustrative examples showing how the new arrangements will work for individual pupils and different types of providers. These were published as part of ‘School funding reform: Next steps towards a fairer system’.

Special Educational Needs: Rural Areas

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to support the provision of special educational needs pupil places in small rural secondary schools.

Sarah Teather: In our Green Paper, ‘Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability’, and the follow up document, ‘Progress and next steps’, we set out our ambitious plans to reform radically provision for children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabled children. These reforms will benefit all children with SEN, including those in rural schools.

CABINET OFFICE

Employment: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the net change in the number of private sector jobs was in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and (b) the Birmingham City Council area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the net change in the number of private sector jobs was in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and (b) the Birmingham City Council area in the latest period for which figures are available. (114454)
	The official estimates of public and private sector jobs are compiled from Work Force Jobs (WFJ) series. However, WFJ do not produce private/public sector job statistics at a geography lower than regional level, so private sector employment has been provided from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey.
	Table 1 attached shows the net change in private sector employment from the APS in Birmingham and Birmingham, Ladywood constituency, between the 12 month period ending in March 2012 (the latest available period) and the period one year earlier.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Net change in private sector employment between the 12 month period ending March 2011 and March 2012 
			 Thousands 
			  Private sector employment Net change 
			  12 months ending:  
			  March 2011 March 2012  
			 Birmingham 288 *292 4 
			 Birmingham, Ladywood 22 ***29 8 
			 Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality as follows. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Coefficient of Variation Key (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 ≤ CV < 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV < 20Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Annual Population Survey

Jobseeker's Allowance

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many 16 to 24 year-olds in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England claimed jobseeker's allowance in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many 16 to 24 year olds in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands, and (d) England claimed jobseeker's allowance in each of the last five years. (114809)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	Table 1 shows the number of people aged 16 to 24, resident in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands, and (d) England, who were claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in May 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, which is the latest date available.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of persons (1)  aged 16 to 24 resident in Coventry, Coventry North East constituency, the West Midlands and England claiming jobseeker's allowance 
			 As at May: Coventry North East Coventry West Midlands England 
			 2008 930 2,130 30,950 211,960 
			 2009 1,365 3,325 51,465 381,290 
			 2010 1,275 3,030 47,745 342,580 
			 2011 1,185 2,910 47,190 341,710 
			 2012 1,210 2,840 48,665 371,625 
			 (1) Age data is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7% of all claims. Note: Data rounded to nearest 5. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Jobseeker's Allowance

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of people aged (a) 18 to 24 and (b) over 50 in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and resident in East Lothian constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate he has made of the number of people aged (a) 18 to 24 and (b) over 50 in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and resident in East Lothian constituency. (114922)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	In May 2012 the number of people resident in East Lothian and claiming JSA (a) aged 18 to 24 was 605 and (b) aged 50 and over was 355.
	Age data is only available for computerised claims, which account for 99.7% of all claims. Age data is rounded to the nearest 5.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Migration

Dominic Raab: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) British citizens who travelled from the UK to the US in the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) US nationals who travelled to the UK from the US in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, asking:
	1. what information her department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) British citizens who travelled from the UK to the US in the most recent year for which figures are available.
	2. what information her Department holds on the number of (a) people and (b) US nationals who travelled to the UK from the US in the most recent year for which figures are available.
	I am able to report estimates derived from the International Passenger Survey. Estimates are published in two forms, firstly the number of overseas travel and tourism visits of less than 12 months in duration which are completed in the reporting year; secondly number of people migrating for 12 months or more (long term migration) during the reporting year. The most recent year for which both sets of estimates are available is 2010.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of visits made to the US) by (a) UK residents of any nationality and (b) UK residents of British nationality during calendar year 2010 
			 Thousand 
			  Overseas travel and tourism visits (of less than 12 months) Long term migration (12 months or more) 
			 Travel by UK residents of any nationality 3,240 24 
			 Travel by UK residents who are British nationals 2,927 13 
			 Source: International Passenger Survey 2010 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of visits made to the UK by (a) US residents of any nationality and (b) US residents of US nationality during calendar year 2010 
			 Thousand 
			  Overseas travel and tourism visits (of less than 12 months) Long term migration (12 months or more) 
			 Travel by US residents of any nationality 2,711 22 
			 Travel by US residents who are US nationals 2,252 15 
			 Source: International Passenger Survey 2010

Operating Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much was spent on the administration of his Department in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office's administration spend for 2009-10 was £198.296 million and for 2010-11 was £202.311 million; a breakdown can be found on page 99 in the Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11 (HC999). The increase in administration spend is due to machinery of government transfers and budgetary cover transfers from other Government Departments to the Cabinet Office. The increase in expenditure is therefore offset by reductions in other Departments' spending. Meanwhile the Cabinet Office has generated approximately £35 million of efficiency savings in 2011-12.
	Machinery of government transfers amounted to £8.165 million (main items being Constitutional and Political Reform from Ministry of Justice—£5.9 million; Office of Government Commerce from HM Treasury—£1.5 million). The actual spend for 2011-12 is currently being audited and will be published in the Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 in mid July 2012.
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/main_supply_ estimates_2011_12.htm
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_pse_201112.htm

Part-time Employment: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people in Bexleyheath and Crayford are employed in part-time roles.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of people in Bexleyheath and Crayford are employed in part-time roles. (114531)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	Table 1 as follows shows the number and proportion of people aged 16 to 64 employed in part-time jobs resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency from APS for the 12 month period ending March 2012, the latest period for which figures are available.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1 Number and proportion of part-time employment in Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency 
			  Aged 16-64 (thousand) Part-time proportion (percentage) 
			  Total people Employed Part-time Of total people Of employed 
			 April 2011-March 2012 **51 ***37 ***10 19.4 27.4 
			 Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described below: Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

Unemployment

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many unemployed (a) men and (b) women of Somali origin there were in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Milton Keynes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many unemployed (a) men and (b) women of Somali origin there were in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Milton Keynes in the latest period for which figures are available. (115075)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Due to small sample sizes estimates are not available of the number of unemployed Somali men and women in England and Wales or Milton Keynes. However, the estimated total number of people born in Somalia who were unemployed in England and Wales was 11,000 from the April 2011 to March 2012 Annual Population Survey.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Higher Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship places are currently supported at each university and higher education college.

John Hayes: Information on the number of apprentices that have been taken on by universities and higher education colleges as staff members is not available.
	Information is available on apprenticeships in the broader education sector. There were 4,070 apprenticeship programme starts in the Education and Training Sector Subject Area in 2010/11, the latest year for which final data are available.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Apprentices: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of apprentices in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) Peterborough city council area; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts in (a) Peterborough parliamentary constituency and North West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency which comprise Peterborough city council and (b) Peterborough city council for the 2010/11 academic year, the latest full year for which final data are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by geography, 2010/11 
			  Apprenticeship starts 
			 Peterborough constituency 840 
			 North West Cambridgeshire constituency 900 
			 Peterborough city council 1,740 
			 England total 457,200 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten except for the England total which is rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Geography is based on the home postcode of the learner. Geographic information is based on boundaries of regions as of May 2010. The England total includes some unknown postcodes. 3. Peterborough city council is comprised of Peterborough and North West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituencies. Figures for Peterborough city council are based on the sum of unrounded data for these parliamentary constituencies. Figures may not sum to the total due to rounding. Source: Individualised Learner Record. 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Business

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to make it easier for small businesses to take on new employees.

Norman Lamb: The Department is taking a number of steps across the piece to make it easier for small businesses to take on new employees. This includes:
	a package of reforms to employment law, including, from April 2012, measures to streamline employment tribunals and an increase in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from one to two years. In addition, we are taking forward measures through the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, such as facilitating the use of settlement agreements, which will give greater confidence to businesses to deal with staff issues in the workplace and encourage growth. In April, we also launched the “Taking on an Employee” online tool to help businesses—especially the smallest of businesses—to understand what they need to do when they take on staff. This can be found at:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/employ
	a number of enterprise measures, including a simplified tax regime, reducing red tape, enabling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) more easily to access public procurement opportunities, an enhanced Business Link website at:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	providing a range of tools and advice on starting and growing a business, and measures to help businesses access the finance they need to grow. We have helped all employers by increasing the employer national insurance contribution threshold by £21 a week, increasing the number of employees for whom employers pay no national insurance contributions (NICs) by 650,000. In addition, to encourage businesses to take on their first employees, we introduced the regional Employer National Insurance Contribution Holiday Scheme. This allows every new business in eligible areas to claim a NICs holiday for the first 10 employees in the first year of business (up to £5,000 per employee);
	making it easier and quicker for SMEs to take on an apprentice by simplifying and speeding up the process for employers. The National Apprenticeship Service is improving its service to SMEs, and new standards will be introduced to help ensure training providers are providing SMEs with a quick and effective service. Additionally, we are making available up to 40,000 incentive payments of £1,500 to small employers to help them recruit their first 16 to 24-year-old apprentice. Social entrepreneur and jeweller Jason Holt has undertaken a review examining what more can be done to make apprenticeships more accessible to SMEs, and this will be published shortly.

Conditions of Employment: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what representations his Department has received from the Scottish Government on the Beecroft report;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the Beecroft report.

Norman Lamb: None.

Executives: Pay

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills within what time period companies will be required to publish details of the exit payments paid to directors following implementation of his proposals on executive pay; and what steps can be taken if companies do not meet that deadline.

Norman Lamb: In line with existing provisions in section 430 of the Companies Act 2006 about what information a company must publish on its website, details of exit payments made to departing directors will need to be published as soon as reasonably practicable. Failure to comply with this will constitute an offence punishable by fine.

Executives: Pay

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether company remuneration policies will be required to be published according to a standard format to enable comparisons with past policies and those of other companies as part of his proposals on executive pay.

Norman Lamb: The revised reporting regulations require companies to provide clearer, more concise and more relevant information about pay, particularly on the link to performance. This will include information that is comparable across companies like the single figure for total pay for each director. These reports will be comparable from year to year.

Financial Services Bill

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the contribution of the Financial Secretary of the Treasury of 23 April 2012, Official Report, columns 695-96, on the Financial Services Bill, whether legal advice has been sought from Government lawyers on the interpretation of section 124 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 since its enactment; what the conclusions were of any such advice; and if he will place in the Library a copy of any such advice.

Norman Lamb: This section falls within a part of the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 that is not currently in force. Before contemplating bringing in such a scheme, Government is seeking a non-legislative alternative through a voluntary code with the debt management industry.
	Should the Government seek to bring in the statutory scheme to which section 124 relates, then it would be appropriate to seek legal advice on all aspects of the framework outlined in the Act to ensure that they continue to meet the policy needs.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer from the Minister of State for Universities and Science on 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 735W, on higher education, what records his Department keeps of the type of organisations who apply for designated status for higher education courses.

David Willetts: The Department records the names of the organisations that apply for specific designation of courses alongside course title, duration and mode of study. Where an organisation has been subject to due diligence checks the Department keeps on file details of the organisation's management and governance arrangements; and an assessment of the organisation's financial sustainability and longevity.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer from the Minister of State for Universities and Science on 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 735W, on higher education, how many applications there were for each type of organisation that has applied for designated higher education course status in the last 12 months.

David Willetts: The Department does not record information by type of organisation for the purpose of specific course designation.

Higher Education: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people aged 18 entered (a) full-time and (b) part-time higher education in each ward in Warrington in each year since 1997; and what proportion of 18-year-olds in Warrington borough this represents.

David Willetts: Information at ward level is not available. Information on the number of 18-year-old entrants to UK higher education institutions domiciled in Warrington unitary authority (UA) prior to their course, broken down by mode of study, is shown in the following table. Figures are provided for the academic years 1999/2000 to 2010/11. Figures for Warrington UA are not available prior to 1999/2000. Information for the 2011/12 academic year will become available from January 2013.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold estimates of the proportion of 18-year-olds in Warrington UA.
	
		
			 Warrington domiciled (1)  entrants (2)  aged 18 (3)  by mode of study, UK higher education institutions, academic years 1999/2000 to 2010/11 
			 Number 
			  Mode of study 
			 Academic year Full-time Part-time 
			 1999/2000 545 5 
			 2000/01 535 10 
			 2001/02 590 10 
			 2002/03 580 10 
			 2003/04 625 10 
			 2004/05 580 25 
			 2005/06 645 20 
			 2006/07 720 20 
			 2007/08 695 20 
			 2008/09 755 10 
			 2009/10 840 30 
			 2010/11 795 20 
			 (1) Domicile refers to a student's permanent or home address prior to entry to their course. (2) Covers students in their first year of study. (3) Age as at 31 August in the reporting year. Notes: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record.

Insolvency

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the proposed consultation on modernising insolvency rules will consider how to restore clarity to the current administration expense rules.

Norman Lamb: The Government is aware of certain stakeholders’ concerns regarding a possible lack of clarity in the current administration expenses rules and has invited them to provide evidence on the impact the current expense regime is having in practice.
	If the Government is persuaded that a case has been made for a change, then consideration can be given to whether this can be encompassed in the consultation on modernising insolvency rules, which it is anticipated will be published during 2013.

Maternity Pay

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect on occupational maternity pay of his Department's Modern Workplaces proposals.

Norman Lamb: During the Modern Workplaces consultation period we consulted widely on the proposals in the consultation. This included meetings with a number of employers and business groups. The Government response to the Modern Workplaces proposals will be published later in the year.

Maternity Pay

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many women received occupational maternity pay for (a) up to 18 weeks, (b) between 18 and 26 weeks and (c) between 26 and 52 weeks in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Lamb: The Maternity and Paternity Rights and Women Returners Survey 2009/10 shows that 36% of mothers received occupational maternity pay in 2009/10. The survey shows that among those women receiving occupational maternity pay, 8.5% received it for 18 weeks or less, and 91.5% received it for more than 18 weeks. The survey does not give a further breakdown of the duration of occupational maternity pay.

Maternity Pay

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much occupational maternity pay was received by women in the last year for which figures are available.

Norman Lamb: The Maternity and Paternity Rights and Women Returners Survey 2009/10 provides some information about occupational maternity pay. This survey does not give an estimate of the total value of occupational maternity schemes per year.

Mature Students

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the number of mature higher education students who do not complete their studies; and what support his Department (a) provides and (b) plans to provide to help mature students to complete their studies where they experience difficulties.

David Willetts: Higher education institutions (HEIs), as independent and autonomous organisations, are responsible for ensuring that each student receives the academic and pastoral support which they need. In general, retention and completion rates for higher education students in this country compare well internationally.
	The Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) provides specific funding to HEIs, to help them put in place systems and support to improve retention. In 2011-12, HEFCE allocated £173 million for full-time students, and £53 million for part-time students.
	HEFCE funding is allocated according to the profile of each HEI's student population. Statistics show that that older students, and students with non-traditional qualifications are more likely to drop out. The mix of students with these characteristics is reflected in HEFCE funding allocations.
	To help institutions spend their money effectively, HEFCE commissioned detailed research from 2008-2011 to identify what works well. Together with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation(1), they jointly provided £1 million for projects in 21 different HEIs—to identify, evaluate and disseminate institutional analysis and good practice on student retention.
	We have also asked the director of Fair Access to take account of good retention performance as an indicator of successful access activity, which the director has reflected in his own guidance to the HE sector.
	Additionally, we are making significant improvements to the information available to university applicants, so they make well informed choices about their course and university. This will help reduce the number of students of all ages who drop out of their course because they have made a wrong initial choice.
	(1) Paul Hamlyn Foundation is an independent grant-making organisation focusing on the arts, education and social justice:
	http://www.phf.org.uk/

Overseas Students: Loans

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of EU students are in arrears to the Student Loans Company;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the level of debt owed by EU students to the Student Loans Company.

David Willetts: Data on student loan balances and numbers of EU borrowers as at 31 March 2012 is available from the Statistical First Release on Student Loans for Higher Education published by the Student Loans Company (SLC) at
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333174/slcsfr012012.pdf
	This shows that there were 65,400 borrowers with EU Tuition Fee Loans of which 1,300 had fully repaid (Table 2 iii). The balance outstanding (including loans not yet due for repayment) was £349.1 million (Table 1). The majority of these borrowers were still at university or had recently left and were therefore not yet liable to begin repaying. 18,900 borrowers were liable to repay their loans, which had a total balance of £110.3 million.
	Information on repayment status as at 30 April 2012 is available from the SLC publication on Repayments by Repayment Cohort and Tax Year at
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/333186/slcosp022012.pdf
	At this date, 2,800 or 9% of EU borrowers liable to repay were considered to be in arrears (Table 1 ii/iii). This figure includes a small number of accounts (400 or 1%) where borrowers have defaulted on their loan repayments. However, the majority are borrowers who are known to be overseas, have not provided details of their income, and have therefore been set up with repayment schedules and put into arrears in order that the SLC can commence tracing and legal action where appropriate. This is an essential step in the overseas collection process.

Overseas Trade

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will respond to the findings of the report by the British Chamber of Commerce entitled Exporting is Good for Britain but Red Tape Stifles Growth in respect of the effects of UK and international regulations on UK exporters.

Mark Prisk: The Government strongly agrees with the British Chambers of Commerce on the need to open up new markets for UK exporters. This is why we are actively pressing for progress on liberalising trade through EU free trade agreements.
	The stock of domestic regulation is under review as part of the Red Tape Challenge with the assumption that burdensome regulations will be scrapped unless they can be fully justified. The Red Tape Challenge expects to cover further regulations relating to imports in the coming months, having already reviewed export control orders. However, the Red Tape Challenge will not be reviewing regulations relating to tax. The Office of Tax Simplification is leading on work to simplify tax legislation and several key issues highlighted in the report such as customs clearance and tariffs sit within its remit. I have supplied a copy of the British Chamber of Commerce report to the Office of Tax Simplification for consideration as part of their work.

Paternity Leave

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many fathers and partners have taken additional paternity leave since its commencement in 2011; and what steps his Department has taken to publicise such entitlement.

Norman Lamb: We do not yet have official statistics on the take-up rates for additional paternity leave. HM Revenue and Customs anticipate that they will have early indications of take-up rates in the autumn.
	We are running a short pilot publicity campaign via Bounty to raise awareness of all maternity and paternity entitlements, including the entitlement to additional paternity leave. There is also guidance available online at
	www.direct.gov.uk
	and
	www.businesslink.gov.uk

Pay

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to introduce regional pay since 20 March 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: BIS is developing its pay proposals for 2012-13 in line with the Treasury's Civil Service pay Guidance, which is published annually. In common with other Departments, we will consider the case for local market-facing pay as it applies to our workforce.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the opposition debate on regional pay on 20 June 2012, Official Report, column 937-86.

Payments: Surcharges

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish his consultation on implementing Article 19 of the Consumer Rights Directive to tackle excessive surcharges; and what his timetable is for implementation.

Norman Lamb: The Government shares consumers' concerns about the high level of payment surcharges imposed by some businesses. On 23 December 2011 we announced our intention to consult on implementing the payment surcharges provision of the consumer rights directive ahead of the June 2014 deadline. We intend to issue a full 12-week consultation in the summer to seek views on the timing of implementation and other details on how the provision should be applied. Responses to the consultation will inform our decision on timing and our guidance to businesses.

Regional Growth Fund: Essex

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications his Department has received for support from the Regional Growth Fund from businesses in (a) Witham constituency and (b) Essex.

Mark Prisk: Due to issues of commercial confidentiality and differences in how precisely the locations of bids have been defined by applicants, we do not disclose data at the scale of parliamentary constituency.
	412 applications have been received for the third round of Regional Growth Fund: of these, three have been received to support projects or programmes located within Essex. However, bids can be tendered by businesses located in different areas to the location of the activity and by consortia of multiple private and public organisations. We do not hold complete location information on all parties involved in a bid.

Trade Promotion

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises have taken part in the UK Trade and Investment’s Tradeshow Access Programme in the last 12 months.

Mark Prisk: Between 1 June 2011 and 31 May 2012, UK Trade and Investment’s Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) services were used to help individual small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on 4,544 occasions. Of this total, TAP grants were issued to SMEs on 3,922 occasions.

Trade Promotion

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Leicester South and (b) the East Midlands have taken part in the UK Trade and Investment's Tradeshow Access Programme in the last 12 months.

Mark Prisk: Between 1 June 2011 and 31 May 2012 UK Trade and Investment's Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) services were used to help individual small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the East Midlands on 335 occasions. Of this total TAP grants were issued to SMEs on 289 occasions. Statistics for TAP support specifically for businesses in Leicester South are not available.

Trade Promotion

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much resource has been allocated to the UK Trade and Industry Trade Show Access Programme for the remainder of the Spending Review period.

Mark Prisk: For financial year 2012/13, a budget of £6.8 million has been allocated to UK Trade and Investment's Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP). This figure and the resources to meet needs in future years are currently under review.

Trade Promotion

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade and Industry officials are working on the Trade Show Access Programme.

Mark Prisk: The staff allocation is 10.5, including one full-time post currently vacant.

Vocational Training: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many training organisations operate in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) London.

John Hayes: The Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) directly funds the following three providers in Bexley:
	Bexley College
	Adult Education College, Bexley
	Bexley Youth Training Group, also known as Skills for Growth.
	Across all London boroughs, the agency directly funds 158 training organisations, including the above three listed for Bexley.
	These training providers are managed by the London Relationship Team, within the Skills Funding Agency.
	Please note that providers based outside Bexley/London are also able to deliver services in Bexley/London or to Bexley/London residents, but the providers listed above are responsible for the vast majority of provision delivered in Bexley and London respectively.

Working Mothers: Breastfeeding

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has commissioned into the potential effect of its Modern Workplaces proposals on breastfeeding rates and duration; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: BIS officials spoke with the Department of Health during the preparation of the consultation document. These discussions focused on breastfeeding and maternal health. The Department of Health were content with the proposals in the consultation. We will publish the Government response to the consultation later in the year.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Metals: Theft

David Evennett: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what the cost of metal theft from Church of England property was in (a) Rochester diocese and (b) Southwark diocese in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

Tony Baldry: The following table shows the value and amount of metal thefts from Church of England property in the diocese of Rochester and Southwark in 2010, 2011 and 2012. As a comparison, the national figure for all Church of England buildings is also included for reference.
	
		
			  2010 2011 2012 (as at 31 May) Total 
			  Claims Cost (£) Claims Cost (£) Claims Cost (£) Claims Cost (£) 
			 Rochester 44 68,052 73 107,747 17 24,405 134 200,204 
			 Southwark 75 121,854 77 119,321 7 10,114 159 251,289 
			 UK Anglican Churches 1,769 2,946,351 2,621 4,578,065 490 866,884 4,880 8,391,300

World War One: Anniversaries

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what plans the Church Commissioners have to hold a national service of commemoration to coincide with the 100(th) anniversary of the (a) start and (b) end of the first world war; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Baldry: Although this is not a matter for the Church Commissioners, the Church of England is consulting with my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), in his capacity as the Prime Minister’s special representative for this most important commemoration. Although initial conversations have taken place, specific plans are yet to be set with representatives of the Church and Westminster Abbey. Following the moving service to commemorate the ‘Passing of the WW1 Generation’ in 2009 and given the building is the home to the ‘Grave of the Unknown Warrior’, Westminster Abbey would seem a most appropriate place for a national service to take place. The Church of England and colleagues at Westminster Abbey look forward to continuing discussions with my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), to develop an appropriate form of national service as part of the commemorations being planned by Her Majesty’s Government.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the cost was of the consultation entitled Building a Fairer Britain: Reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Lynne Featherstone: The consultation on the reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has cost £10,638. This includes the cost of publication of the consultation proposals and the government response in appropriate formats, and a series of engagement events.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars have been issued by her Department since May 2010; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

Lynne Featherstone: All publications relating to equalities since July 2010 can be found on the Home Office publications website where they can be sorted according to type including consultations. The website is located at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/equalities/equalities-publications/
	Publications concerning equalities prior to July 2010 have been preserved by the national archives at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110608160754/http://www.equalities.gov.uk/research,_facts_and_figures.aspx

Racial Discrimination: EU Action

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the effect of the proposed repeal of the good relations duty in section 3 of the Equality Act 2006 on the UK's compliance with EU framework decision 2008/913/JHA on combating racism and xenophobia; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Equality and Human Rights Commission's duty to promote understanding of the importance of good relations between groups is contained in section 10 of the Equality Act 2006. The repeal of section 10 will not impact on the UK's compliance with EU Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on combating racism and xenophobia. The UK fulfils its obligations under the Framework Decision through the criminal law, principally the provisions on incitement to racial hatred contained in the Public Order Act 1986. Further, the Equality and Human Rights Commission's most valuable work in the area of good relations can continue to be carried out under its existing equality and human rights duties at section 8 and section 9 of the Equality Act 2006, so the separate good relations duty set out in section 10 is unnecessary.

Women's National Commission

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she is taking following the abolition of the Women's National Commission to ensure that the UK complies with its obligations under the Beijing Platform for Action to secure institutional mechanisms for the empowerment of women; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office, part of the Home Office, is the body that meets the UK Government's commitments under the Beijing Platform for Action.
	The Women's National Commission acted as a consultative body until 2010. The Government decided to strengthen its engagement with women by bringing the functions of the Women's National Commission into the Government, supporting Ministers in delivering a programme of direct, unmediated engagement with women and their representative organisations. The Government also funds the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) which is part of the institutional mechanism referred to in the Beijing Platform for Action. The EHRC monitors the delivery of the UK Government's commitments on gender equality as outlined in the UN Convention of the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Platform for Action.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average waiting time in accident and emergency rooms in hospitals in the North East of England.

Simon Burns: It is not possible to calculate an average time that people have waited in accident and emergency (A&E) before being treated.
	Information on A&E performance for each acute trust in the north east of England for the latest quarter available (quarter 4 2011-12) is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  A&E attendances Attendances over four hours Percentage under four hours 
			 South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust (FT) 51,448 882 98.29 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland NHS FT 31,350 1,471 95.31 
			 Gateshead Health NHS FT 15,580 686 95.60 
			 The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS FT 43,964 291 99.34 
		
	
	
		
			 Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT 40,692 702 98.27 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS FT 37,876 954 97.48 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS FT 21,645 454 97.90 
			 County Durham and Darlington NHS FT 69,800 2,817 95.96 
			 Total for North East hospital trusts 312,355 8,257 97.36 
			 Notes: 1. It is not possible to calculate an average time that people have waited in A&E before being treated. 2. The weekly A&E data collection collects data on the total number of patients seen and the number of patients that waited over four hours. 3. These data focus on the percentage of people treated in A&E within four hours. 4. Data include all A&E types. Source: Weekly Situation Report Accident and Emergency Dataset (WsitAE)

Agency Nurses

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Government Procurement Service Framework Agreements for agency nurses are in place; and what proportion of expenditure on agency nursing staff was made through regional frameworks in the latest period for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The Government Procurement Service (GPS) has one pan-Government national framework agreement in place for the supply of agency nurses to health, central Government and wider public sector organisations.
	GPS do not hold information on spend through non GPS regional frameworks.

Air Pollution

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of premature deaths due to poor air quality in each of the last 20 years, by region; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Air pollution is not recorded as a specific cause of death. However, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants estimated(1) on the basis of 2008 data, that fine particulate air pollution (measured as PM2.5) had an effect on the mortality of the UK population equivalent to 29,000 deaths in 2008.
	The Public Health Outcomes Framework, published in January 2012, contains an indicator of deaths attributable to air pollution (measured as PM2.5) and this data will be available at a higher tier local authority level.
	(1) “The Mortality Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution in the United Kingdom” is available at:
	www.comeap.org.uk/documents/128-the-mortality-effects-of-long-term-exposure-to-particulate-air-pollution-in-the-uk.html

Ambulance Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he has provided to each regional ambulance trust since 2010.

Simon Burns: This information is not held by the Department. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission services to meet local needs. The funding that PCTs allocate for provision of services is not broken down by service or policy area.

Ambulance Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many category A, B and C emergency calls were made to each regional ambulance trust in England and Wales in each month since May 2010; and how many such calls were responded to within target since May 2010.

Simon Burns: The information requested, as available, has been placed in table format in the Library.
	The number of category A (immediately life threatening) calls made monthly to each ambulance trust in England since May 2010 is shown in table 1.
	The number of category A calls made monthly to each ambulance trust in England since May 2010 resulting in an emergency response arriving at the scene of the incident within eight minutes, meeting the A8 national response target, is shown in table 2.
	The number of category A calls made monthly to each ambulance trust in England since April 2011 resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene within 19 minutes, meeting the A19 national response target, is shown in table 3.
	Data on category A calls resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene within 19 minutes are available only by financial year before April 2011 and are available as a percentage of total calls rather than the number; these data were not centrally collected on a monthly basis before April 2011. The percentage of category A calls made to each ambulance trust in England resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene within 19 minutes in 2010-11 is shown in table 4.
	Data on category B (serious but not immediately life threatening) and category C (conditions that are not immediately serious or life threatening) calls are available only by financial year. It should be noted that category B was removed from 1 April 2011. The number of category B calls made to each ambulance trust in England in 2010-11 is shown in table 5. The number of category C calls made to each ambulance trust in England in 2010-11 and 2011-12 is shown in table 5.
	The number of category B calls responded to within target is not centrally collected. The percentage of category B calls responded to within 19 minutes, meeting the B19 target in 2010-11 is shown in table 4.
	There is no national response time target for category C calls; since 1 October 2004, local national health service organisations have had responsibility for managing and monitoring the ways in which local services respond to category C calls.
	The Department does not collect data for Wales; the ambulance service in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Ambulance Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes he has made to ambulance trust response targets since May 2010.

Simon Burns: On 1 April 2011, a set of ambulance service clinical quality indicators were introduced. These look at performance across a range of areas, rather than a narrow focus on time. The clinical quality indicators measure both the quality of care delivered by ambulance services (reported as "Systems" measures e.g. the time to treatment) and the clinical outcomes of patients (reported as "Clinical Outcome" measures e.g. survival to discharge) who receive care from NHS ambulance services.
	From 1 April 2011, target ‘B19’ (95% of category B, serious but not immediately life-threatening calls should be responded to within 19 minutes) was removed as it had no clinical justification.
	A new clock start system was introduced on 1 June 2012 for Red 2 category A ambulance patients, which are calls relating to patients presenting serious but less time-critical conditions. This allows more appropriate ambulance resources to be provided to patients based on their clinical needs and will enable the prioritisation of Red 1 calls (the most time-critical calls, which include cardiac arrest patients who are not breathing and do not have a pulse, and other conditions such as airway obstruction).
	For Red 2 patients, the measurement of ambulance response times will use a clock start position that is the earliest of:
	(i) the point at which the chief complaint of the call has been identified;
	(ii) a vehicle has been assigned to the call; and
	(iii)a 60 second cap from Call Connect.

Breast Cancer

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that older breast cancer patients have their care co-ordinated by a multidisciplinary team;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that older breast cancer patients have access to a clinical nurse specialist;
	(3)  how many women with breast cancer aged (a) 49 and under, (b) 50 to 59, (c) 60 to 69, (d) 70 to 79, (e) 80 to 89 and (f) over 90 years old in each (i) cancer network and (ii) primary care trust have had their care co-ordinated by a multidisciplinary team in each year since 1997 for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many women with breast cancer aged (a) 49 and under, (b) 50 to 59, (c) 60 to 69, (d) 70 to 79, (e) 80 to 89 and (f) over 90 years old in each (i) cancer network and (ii) primary care trust were given access to a clinical nurse specialist in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: Information concerning the number of women with breast cancer who have their care co-ordinated by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and the number of women with breast cancer who are given access to a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is not collected.
	“Improving Outcomes in Breast Cancer”, published by the Department in 1996 and updated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2002, sets out best practice guidance on the diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of women with breast cancer. The guidance is intended for women of all ages.
	One of its four key recommendations is that women should be treated by an MDT. The guidance also recommends that every patient should have access to a named breast care nurse throughout treatment and into aftercare. This guidance was fully implemented in 2005.
	The 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey showed that 93% of breast cancer patients reported having a CNS. This summer we will publish the 2011 Cancer Patient Experience Survey and will be looking closely to see where improvements have been made in the provision of CNSs.
	In January 2012, NICE published the Breast Cancer Quality Standard, which sets out the markers of high-quality, cost-effective breast cancer care and contains 13 quality statements. Quality Statement 6 recommends that
	“People with early invasive breast cancer, irrespective of age, are offered surgery, radiotherapy and appropriate systemic therapy, unless significant comorbidity precludes it”.

Cancer

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS is using thalidomide derivatives for the treatment of cancer.

Paul Burstow: The thalidomide derivative lenalidomide is licensed for the treatment of multiple myeloma and is in use in the national health service in England for the treatment of this condition.

Care Homes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when his Department last undertook a review of the funding of care homes for the elderly;
	(2)  how many care homes for the elderly have closed over the last two years.

Paul Burstow: Local councils pay for social care services for their populations, including residential care, out of their general funds, which are derived from grants from central Government and local taxation. The Department has not, therefore, reviewed the funding of care homes for older people.
	Local councils are free to decide how best to contract with providers of residential care to meet the needs of their populations. The Government do not set or recommend the fee rates which local councils agree with care providers. However, councils are expected to take the cost of providing care into account when negotiating with providers.
	In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging financial climate, the Government allocated an additional £7.2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. With an ambitious programme of efficiency, there will be enough funding available for councils to protect peoples' access to care services.
	The following tables show information provided by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on numbers of care homes that de-registered during the last two financial years. The figures include all care homes; data on homes for older people are not available separately.
	It should be noted that de-registration of homes is not necessarily indicative of permanent closure or of enforcement activity by the CQC. For example, a home may temporarily de-register (and subsequently re-register) whilst undergoing refurbishment, or due to its having been taken over by a different provider.
	
		
			 De-registration (1)  of care homes 
			  2010-11 
			  Services Places 
			 Registered under Care Standards Act 2000 (2)   
			 Residential homes 519 8,742 
			 Nursing homes 92 3,812 
			 Totals 611 12,554 
		
	
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			  Services Places Services Places 
			 Registered under Health and Social Care Act 2008 (2)     
			 Residential homes 28 293 1,481 23,636 
			 Nursing homes 10 40 692 32,758 
			 Totals 38 333 2,173 56,394 
			 (1 )De-registration of homes is not necessarily indicative of permanent closure. (2 )Until 30 September 2010, care homes were regulated under Care Standards Act 2000. From 1 October 2010, all providers were required to register under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Source: CQC database at 7 June 2012.

Cataracts

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cataract procedures there were (a) nationally, (b) in the west midlands and (c) in south Birmingham in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Simon Burns: The following table provided by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care shows the number of finished consultant episodes for cataract procedures for within England, within West Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA), and within South Birmingham Primary Care Trust (PCT) for the years 2009-10, 2010-11 and provisional data for April 2011 to February 2012. The data for 2011-12 are incomplete and are subject to change.
	
		
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 1 April 2011 to29 February 2012 (1) 
			 England 346,969 343,145 306,436 
			 West Midlands SHA 34,269 34,138 29,265 
		
	
	
		
			 South Birmingham PCT 1,709 1,757 1,633 
			 (1) Incomplete data Note: The figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.

Diabetes

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the expiration of the National Service Framework for Diabetes on the quality of diabetes services;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to replace the National Service Framework for Diabetes when it expires in 2013;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Service Framework for Diabetes;
	(4)  whether he plans to undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of the National Service Framework for Diabetes.

Paul Burstow: The National Audit Office (NAO) recently published their report on “The Management of Adult Diabetes Services in the NHS”. This report stated that the Department had been successful, through the National Service Framework for Diabetes, in setting clear standards for good diabetes care and these had been reinforced by the Quality Standard set by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2011; but that further improvements were needed. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) held a hearing on the NAO report on 12 June 2012 and our intention is to wait for the PAC to publish its conclusions before finalising our plans in relation to diabetes. Three documents will be produced over the next several months that will offer the opportunity to publish these plans: the Diabetes action plan, the Long Term Conditions (LTCs) Outcomes Strategy (to include a diabetes companion document), and the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy.
	The Diabetes action plan will set out the actions the national health service will be taking to increase identification, improve prevention and treatment of diabetes, and will be published later this year.
	The Long Term Conditions Outcomes Strategy is aimed at improving outcomes for all people with LTCs. The strategy will look at all of the aspects that impact on the lives of people with LTCs, and outline how the key players (Government Departments, local authorities, charities and individuals) can act in future in order to reduce LTC incidence, and improve outcomes for those with LTCs. We aim to publish the strategy towards the end of 2012; a companion document on diabetes will be published at the same time.
	The Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy will outline how the healthcare system can improve outcomes for people with—or at risk of—CVD. The strategy will consider the whole of the patient pathway from prevention through to long-term care. As diabetes is a major risk factor for CVD, it will be considered as part of the strategy's development.

Drugs: Licensing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of whether the lessons of the thalidomide tragedy have been learned in the process of licensing new drugs;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure that scientific reports and research published in medical journals is taken into consideration when deciding to grant licences to new drugs; and whether he is satisfied that senior officials in his Department have ownership of the process at each stage.

Simon Burns: The lessons learned from the thalidomide tragedy underpin the regulation of medicines used throughout the European Union.
	Following the thalidomide tragedy, the United Kingdom Medicines Act received Royal Assent in 1968. This established in legislation the need for new medicines to be licensed by a competent authority before being placed onto the market in the UK. These requirements have become established in the European directives that now regulate medicines across the EU. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the UK competent authority for licensing of new medicines.
	The requirements for licensing of new medicines include detailed tests to be conducted in animals, including specific evaluation of embryo-fetal development, in addition to studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the product in human clinical trials.
	The dossier supporting an application for a new drug is required to include the results of preclinical tests and clinical trials conducted by the applicant in the development of its product. This will include the full study reports and appendices in contrast to the summarised information typically included in published literature. The marketing authorisation application is required in legislation to include all information relevant to the evaluation of the medicinal product, whether favourable or unfavourable to the product and including completed trials concerning therapeutic indications that are not the subject of the application.
	In the UK, the Commission on Safety of Drugs was established in 1963 in order to prevent a repeat of the thalidomide tragedy. This body has since been superseded by the Commission on Human Medicines which is independent of MHRA and has statutory responsibilities for advising Ministers on the safety of medicines.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates his Department has made of the number of people re-admitted to drug treatment programmes in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The following table from the ‘Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System: 1 April 2010—31 March 2011’, which was published on 6 October 2011, shows the numbers of people who represented for treatment on two or more occasions.
	
		
			 Table 6.1.1: Six year treatment population first presentation and treatment contact status at 31 March 2011 
			  Year of first presentation 
			 Category Prior to 2005-06 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Total 
			 Continuous journey 21,19.3 5,621 4,242 4,382 4,855 5,708 13,143 59,144 
			 Two journeys since first presentation 11,695 6,137 4,457 3,734 3,269 2,411 918 32,621 
			 Three journeys since first presentation 7,183 5,081 3,003 2,039 1,316 533 57 19,212 
			 More than three journeys since first presentation 9,370 7,790 3,393 1,422 554 107 7 22,643 
			 Notes: 1. The figures in table 6.1.1 report all adults recorded as being in contact with drug treatment in England on or after 1 April 2005 who were still in treatment on 31 March 2011. 2. Figures for these 133,620 individuals are divided into those that were retained in treatment continuously during that period and those who received two, three or more treatment journeys (episodes of treatment) since first entering the treatment system. 3. The full table is available on page 28 of the National Treatment Agency's report, ‘Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) 1 April 2010—31 March 2011 Vol 1: The Numbers’ available at: www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/statisticsfromndtms201011vol1thenumbers.pdf

Food: Genetically Modified Organisms

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has received notification from the European Commission of its intentions to table a proposal not to continue its zero tolerance policy on the presence of unauthorised genetically modified organisms in food and food ingredients; if he will convene a meeting to develop a UK-wide position on this issue with the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland administrations; if he will hold a full public consultation on any such proposal once the details have been published; and if he will make a statement setting out the Government's policy on this issue.

Anne Milton: At a Standing Committee meeting in Brussels on 7 June the Commission announced that it plans to issue a proposal for extending Regulation (EU) 619/2011, on low level presence of genetically modified (GM) material in animal feed, to include food. This regulation was adopted in July 2011 and harmonises the enforcement of legislation governing the marketing of GM animal feed throughout the European Union.
	The regulation defines a “technical zero” of 0.1%, which is the lowest level where results are satisfactorily reproducible between official laboratories when appropriate sampling protocols and methods of analysis are applied. This “technical zero” only applies in certain circumstances where the GM material is approved in the country of origin and its safety is already being assessed for approval in the EU.
	The Government supported the previous regulation in 2011 in line with its policy commitment that regulation of GM organisms should be pragmatic and proportionate, without compromising safety. When the Commission issues its new proposal, there will, as usual, be public consultation and the United Kingdom voting position will be determined according to established procedures, which include seeking the views of the devolved Administrations.

Food: Hygiene

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to provide information for the public on the importance of washing fruit and vegetables.

Anne Milton: We understand from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which has responsibility for this policy area that as part of its Strategic Plan, the FSA aims to ensure that:
	‘Consumers have the information and understanding they need to make informed choices about where and what they eat',
	with a priority to:
	‘improve public awareness and use of messages about good food hygiene practice at home'.
	In November 2011, the FSA ran an advertising campaign in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (funded by Devolved Administrations) reminding consumers about the FSA's existing advice to wash raw vegetables to help minimise the risk of food poisoning. Advertising in England was not considered appropriate due to the current restrictions on paid for advertising and marketing, therefore the campaign utilised public relations and social media channels.
	The campaign was in response to several outbreaks of E.coli in Great Britain and abroad, including one linked to soil on raw vegetables and another caused by contaminated sprouted seeds.
	In addition to this, the FSA publishes specific advice on this subject on NHS Choices (the website that contains Government advice on healthy living) found at:
	www.nhs.uk/livewell/homehygiene/pages/how-to-wash-fruit-and-vegetables.aspx

Health Services: Males

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the accessibility of health advice and treatment for men.

Anne Milton: The Government wants to improve access to advice and treatment for the whole population as demonstrated by the development of outcome frameworks covering the national health service, public health and social care. The Government's commissioning reforms will drive decision-making closer to patients and ensure that services are developed by those who best understand people's needs.
	The Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme was launched in April 2009 to improve communication and dialogue between the Department and voluntary sector health and social care organisations across England. The Men's Health Forum was one of the initial 11 strategic partners and remains a valuable partner as the programme moves into its fourth year. For example, the forum publishes a range of mini manual health booklets for men and runs a website for me:
	www.malehealth.co.uk

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many British nationals who used a European health insurance card to claim free or reduced cost healthcare in another EU member state received life-saving treatment in (a) total and (b) each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many UK-issued European health insurance cards were in circulation in (a) total and (b) each year since such cards were introduced; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many British nationals have used a European health insurance card to claim free or reduced cost healthcare in another EU member state in (a) total and (b) each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The European health insurance card (EHIC) was introduced in September 2005.
	A UK-issued EHIC has a maximum validity period of five years, and entitles the holder to free, or reduced-cost, health care that is deemed clinically necessary during a temporary visit to another European economic area country.
	The number of EHICs issued in each year since introduction is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  EHICs issued 
			 September 2005 to March 2006 5,592,334 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 7,189,876 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 4,160,935 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 4,172,428 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 4,540,813 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 5,819,861 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 6,903,507 
			 Total 38,379,754 
		
	
	Due to the nature of the claims process between member states, the Department does not hold figures for the number of individuals treated using the EHIC or whether the treatment was considered life saving or immediately necessary but not life saving.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on improving the response to any future cross-border public health emergency.

Anne Milton: There have been three occasions to date where the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), or other health Ministers have met with European Union counterparts to hold discussions in improving the response to any future cross border public health emergency.
	In April 2011, I met with Commissioner Dalli, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, at an informal meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council. A discussion took place around the United Kingdom’s development of a vision in preparation for the Commission’s forthcoming decision on cross border threats to health.
	In July 2011, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), met with a small number of Members of the European Parliament as part of a visit to Brussels to influence the European Parliament on a number of forthcoming legislative proposals currently being negotiated in Council and the European Parliament. He also met with Commissioner Dalli and these discussions included European Union proposals for cross border threats to health.
	In June 2012, I met with other Ministers at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Luxembourg, where cross border threats to health was discussed.

Health Services: Social Enterprises

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library an up-to-date list of funding awarded by the Social Enterprise Investment Fund.

Paul Burstow: Departmental officials are currently collating the information and a copy will be placed in the Library shortly.

Health: Screening

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many men in each age group took up the NHS Health Check programme in (a) England and (b) Leeds Primary Care Trust area in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning services to deliver the NHS Health Check programme in a way that meets the needs of their local population. They choose different approaches to deliver the checks depending on the characteristics of their local population. No assessment at a national level has been made of how many men in different age groups have taken up the offer of an NHS Health Check.
	The number of eligible people between 40 and 74 offered and receiving a NHS Health Check in 2011-12 has been published on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/Integrated perfomancemeasuresmonitoring/DH_129481

Hospitals: Food

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the satisfaction levels with NHS hospital food were in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) national NHS patient survey programme asks patients who have recently used their local health services about their experiences. The CQC's annual survey of adult in-patients asks patients to rate the hospital food and the results for the last five years are set out in the following table.
	Individual hospital trusts are encouraged to undertake their own patient experience surveys, which can include asking patients for their views on hospital food, to drive improvements in the quality of the services they deliver.
	
		
			 CQC in-patient survey question: “How would you rate the hospital food?” 
			  Survey year: 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Very good (%) 19 21 20 21 20 
			 Good (%) 36 36 35 36 35 
			 Fair (%) 31 30 30 30 30 
			 Poor (%) 15 14 14 13 15 
			       
			 Number of respondents 72,073 68,842 65,527 62,601 66,867

Hospitals: Parking

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much revenue NHS hospitals in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) England received from charging disabled drivers to park in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected.
	National health service organisations are locally responsible for decisions on the provision of car parking, including charging disabled drivers.

Hospitals: Private Finance Initiative

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his Department’s recent report on PFI hospitals.

Simon Burns: The findings of the review of the organisations who were identified as having private finance initiative contracts which were affecting their ability to be sustainable providers, are currently being finalised. This continuing work includes determining how and when the funding that has been put in place for the eligible providers will be made available. In due course and when all aspects of this work have been completed, this report will be published.

Learning Disability: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the standards of care provided to people with learning disabilities by Mental Health and Learning Disability NHS trusts in the Tees Valley.

Paul Burstow: All parts of the health and care system have a role to play in ensuring standards are met for the provision of high quality, safe learning disability services.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC), as the independent regulator of care quality standards, published a summary report of inspections conducted at 145 learning disability hospitals and care homes, including those in the Tees Valley area, on 25 June 2012. Copies of the individual inspection reports are available on the CQC website:
	www.cqc.org.uk/public/our-action-winterbourne-view/review-learning-disability-services/learning-disability-reports
	On 25 June 2012, we set out 14 national actions to improve the care and support for people with learning disabilities or autism and behaviours which challenge. Further information on the national actions can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://mediacentre.dh.gov.uk/2012/06/25/dh-publishes-interim-report-up-standards-prevent-abuse/

Meat

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the category of desinewed meat was created in the UK; who approved its creation; and what discussions were held on the classification of this category with (a) the Food Standards Agency, (b) the European Food Standards Agency and (c) the European Commission.

Anne Milton: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency, which was established in 2000, that the term 'desinewed meat' is a commercial term originally devised by United Kingdom industry. It was first used around 1995 to describe a product with an appearance similar to that of minced meat, produced by the mechanical separation of residual meat from non ruminant animal bones and/or the mechanical removal of sinews from de-boned meat.
	This product fell within the definition of 'meat preparations' in national regulations in force at the time. As this was a commercial term used by industry to describe a product, no discussions on its creation were held with the European Commission or the predecessor to the European Food Safety Authority, the Scientific Committee on Food, which was in existence at that time.

Milk: Children

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on providing free milk for children aged under five years in each constituency in each of the last five years; and how many children were provided with milk in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: The following table shows the total amount the Department spent on providing free nursery milk for children aged under five years in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2011-12. We are unable to provide a breakdown of the total amount the Department spent in providing free nursery milk in each constituency as this information is not held centrally.
	
		
			 Financial years Department of Health total spent on providing free nursery milk to under-fives (£) 
			 2011-12 58,919,594 
			 2010-11 53,244,946 
			 2009-10 42,462,189 . 
			 2008-09 31,197,449 
			 2007-08 27,141,395 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information centrally on the number of children who have received free nursery milk. The number of children attending each child care setting varies on a daily basis. However we can provide details regarding the number of milk portions (each a third of a pint) reimbursed. The number of portions reimbursed in the month of May 2012 was 21,125,608.

NHS: Negligence

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was of NHS litigation in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold this information centrally, as each national health service body is responsible for handling its own litigation except where they have support from the statutory NHS indemnity schemes, which are administered by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health. The following information is available from the NHSLA annual report and accounts:
	
		
			 Payments made by the NHSLA by year and by type of liability 
			 £ million 
			  Payments by type of claim  
			  Clinical Non-clinical Total payments 
			 2007-08 633.4 25 658.4 
			 2008-09 769.3 34 803.3 
			 2009-10 787.2 34 821.2 
			 2010-11 863.4 42.4 905.8 
			 2011-12 1,277.3 48.1 1,325.4 
			 Source: NHS Litigation Authority 
		
	
	These data do not represent all litigation against the NHS. The schemes provide cover to members, primarily NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and primary care trusts. They do not generally cover independent, contractors (eg general practitioners in primary care). In addition, the schemes only deal with certain types of litigation, covering clinical liabilities (clinical negligence) and non-clinical liabilities (mainly employers', public, products, directors' and officers', personal accident and professional indemnity liabilities). The non-clinical schemes also operate 'excess' levels, with claims below excess funded by individual members. Data therefore only represents expenditure by the NHSLA.

NHS: Photographs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS has been of the exhibition of photographs, currently on display in Rotherham, which has been touring NHS organisations since June 2011.

Simon Burns: The information my hon. Friend has requested falls within the responsibility of NHS Rotherham, and he may wish to contact them directly.

Nurses: Temporary Employment

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the National Audit Office report, Improving the use of temporary nursing staff in NHS acute and foundation trusts, how many strategic health authorities monitor the performance of NHS trusts in the use of temporary nursing staff; and what assessment his Department has made of any such monitoring.

Simon Burns: The Department does not centrally mandate how strategic health authorities (SHAs) monitor the performance of national health service trusts in the use of temporary staff. Each SHA cluster has signed up for a target reduction of the cost of temporary staff in their region. Cluster work force directors are held to account for these through the NHS Operating Framework and the Department's work force leadership group.

Obesity

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much the NHS has spent on purchasing ambulance stretchers for obese patients in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much the NHS has spent on purchasing specialist equipment in hospital wards for obese patients in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how much the NHS has spent on (a) making adjustments to ambulance vehicles and (b) buying new ambulances for obese patients in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information on national health service spend relating to equipment for patients who are suffering from obesity centrally.
	The East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub has been awarded a contract to provide procurement services for the ambulance service.

Organs: Donors

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on proposals to introduce presumed consent into the organ donation system in Wales.

Anne Milton: On 12 July 2011, the Welsh Government made clear to the Government its intention to proceed with proposals to introduce an opt-out system for organ donation in Wales. Since then, the Department has been involved in discussions with the Welsh Government at ministerial and official level. It should be noted that the independent Organ Donation Taskforce examined the case for moving to an opt-out system in 2008. They recommended against it.
	On 18 June, the Welsh Government published for consultation its draft Assembly Bill and explanatory memorandum seeking to introduce an opt-out system for organ donation in Wales. We are studying the Welsh Government’s proposals carefully.

Parasitic Diseases: Pigs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of trichinosis were reported from pork products in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: There have been no reported cases of trichinosis in the United Kingdom in any of the last five years, since 2007.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to assist the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust to resolve problems in relation to its structural deficit in respect of its private finance initiative contract; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust was identified as one of the seven organisations nationally for which the affordability of their private finance initiative contract would affect their future sustainability, and where some national solution was required to address this. We announced in February this year a package of funding of up to £1.5 billion for the seven identified organisations to be eligible for, subject to meeting a range of criteria including the clarification of the unique circumstances they face and evidencing how the organisation will provide sustainable high quality health care services going forward.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to investigate the addition of handling fees to the delivery of gluten-free prescriptions.

Simon Burns: We are keeping this area of prescribing in England under review as part of a broader programme of work to make sure the national health service gets good value for money in prescribing, while ensuring patients have access to high quality, clinically appropriate care.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation documents have been issued by his Department since May 2010.

Simon Burns: From May 2010, the Department issued 55 public consultations.
	Public consultations are available on the Department's website at the following link:
	www.dh.gov.uk/health/category/publications/consultations/consultations-open/

Salmonella

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cases of salmonella were traced to UK chicken eggs in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many cases of salmonella were traced to UK duck eggs in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: We understand from the Food Standards Agency, which has responsibility for food borne disease, that the causes of individual (sporadic) cases of salmonella rarely provide sufficient evidence of their cause to enable an epidemiological investigation to be undertaken to identify their cause. For this reason individual cases are not routinely investigated or traced to identify the food responsible.
	In order to demonstrate that cases of laboratory confirmed Salmonella infection are due to eating United Kingdom produced chicken or duck eggs it is necessary to conduct epidemiological and/or microbiological investigations which can provide the required scientific evidence of association. This is only usually possible for cases linked to recognised outbreaks of infection, which involve two or more cases affecting individuals from more than one household.
	The following tables show the number of laboratory confirmed cases of salmonellosis as part of reported outbreaks of infection between 2007 and 2012 where investigations showed that infection was transmitted through the consumption of contaminated chicken or duck eggs produced in the UK.
	
		
			 Laboratory confirmed cases from outbreaks of Salmonella associated with UK chicken eggs 
			  England and Wales Scotland Northern Ireland UK 
			 2007 0 0 0 0 
			 2008 0 0 0 0 
			 2009 0 (1)4 0 4 
			 2010 0 0 0 0 
			 2011 2 0 0 2 
			 2012(2) 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Laboratory confirmed cases from outbreaks of Salmonella associated with UK duck eggs 
			  England and Wales Scotland Northern Ireland UK 
			 2007 0 0 0 0 
			 2008 0 0 0 0 
			 2009 0 0 0 0 
			 2010 81 0 0 81 
			 2011 0 0 0 0 
			 2012(2) 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Eggs were one of more than one food vehicle reported in the outbreak. The outbreak does not specify the type of eggs reported for the outbreak. (2) Information for 2012 is provisional and covers the period from January to June 2012.

Sickle Cell Diseases: Screening

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to monitor the implementation of the 2009 transcranial doppler scanning guidance when NHS commissioning boards become fully operational in 2013;
	(2)  how many people have been offered a transcranial doppler scan in (a) England and Wales and (b) Milton Keynes since 2009.

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implementation of guidance on transcranial doppler scanning in (a) England and Wales and (b) Milton Keynes; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Service development and implementation are a matter for local commissioners and providers.
	Data on the number of people who have been offered a transcranial doppler scan in England and Wales and Milton Keynes are not held centrally.
	No assessment has been made by the Department on the implementation of guidance on transcranial doppler scanning.

St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the NHS North report, Review of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals in Support of Foundation Trust Status.

Simon Burns: We have been advised by NHS North of England that the review of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals is currently being finalised and is due to be published shortly.

Suicide

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to publish the new suicide prevention strategy for England.

Paul Burstow: We intend to publish the suicide prevention strategy for England shortly.

Thalidomide

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the history of thalidomide and the pilot Health Grant scheme, what advance planning his Department is making for severely disabled people who may need to go into residential care homes at an earlier age than the general population; and what plans he has to (a) adapt accommodation for them to retain as much independence and dignity as possible, (b) provide staffing to care for additional needs and (c) enable them to stay in their already adapted home and buy in care.

Paul Burstow: Each local authority is responsible for working with providers to ensure care and support is available to meet the needs of its local community. This includes arrangements for home care, necessary home adaptations to meet the person's assessed needs, having the appropriate levels of staffing and that staff have the right skills and training to ensure they provide appropriate care for severely disabled people.
	However, the Department recognises the importance of the adult social care work force having the skills necessary to meet the needs of those who use care services and is working closely with Skills for Care, on strategic priorities linked to skills development and training, to ensure that staff are supported in exercising their roles.
	The Government also recognised the pressures on the adult social care system, and took the decision to prioritise adult social care by allocating an additional £7.2 billion up to 2014-15.

Thalidomide

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish any historical correspondence between the Chief Medical Officer and Government Health Ministers on the issue of thalidomide.

Paul Burstow: To obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost. The Department no longer holds this information centrally. It has been passed to the National Archive for storage. Their online catalogue can be accessed at:
	www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue

Tobacco: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to introducing bilingual government health warning notices on tobacco products sold in Wales.

Anne Milton: Legislation that sets out requirements for health warnings on tobacco products applies to the whole of the United Kingdom. The Government is not intending to amend legislation to require bilingual health warnings specifically for tobacco products offered for sale in Wales.